August 19, 2026: Mars marches past Gemini near Castor’s foot as Jupiter returns to the morning sky. Saturn retrogrades against Pisces while Venus and the First Quarter moon shine after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:03 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:45 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Before Sunrise
Saturn and Mars are easy to locate before daybreak, while Jupiter is appearing low in the east-northeast.
Saturn
Saturn rises two hours after sunset and is in the sky for the rest of the night. After local midnight, when it is higher in the sky, the Ringed Wonder is a good target through a telescope until brighter twilight. The rings are visible at powers below 100x magnification, as well as the planet’s southern hemisphere.
An hour before sunrise, Saturn is over 45° above the south-southwest horizon, slowly retrograding in front of an unremarkable Pisces starfield. While not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, it is the brightest starlike body in the region.
Mars, Jupiter
Farther eastward, Mars marches eastward in front of Gemini, near Castor’s foot. It is less than halfway from the east horizon to overhead, 1.2° to Tejat Posterior’s upper left, the heel, and 1.9° to Propus’ lower left, the toe.
Mars is not as bright as might be expected because it is nearly 180 million miles from Earth. The planet’s visual magnitude is highly variable because it is relatively small and reflects about 25% of the sunlight that strikes it. Combined with its changing distance from Earth, this causes the Red Planet to be dimmer than Castor, 18° to the lower left, at some times and brighter than Jupiter at others. This morning, Jupiter is near the east-northeast horizon and less than 40° to Mars’ lower left.
Jupiter is reappearing in the morning sky after its recent solar conjunction. It is higher each morning at this time interval before sunrise. The Jovian Giant is bright enough to be seen later during morning twilight. At 45 minutes before sunrise, it is over 5° above the horizon and easier to see from a location with a clear view toward the east-northeast.
Mars is closing in on a conjunction with Jupiter on November 16, farther eastward near Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.
After Sunset
Brilliant Venus and the First Quarter moon shine from the western sky.
Venus, Spica
An hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is less than 10° above the west-southwest horizon and 11.3° to Spica’s lower right, Virgo’s brightest star. Venus steps farther eastward from night to night, closing the gap to the star and leading to their conjunction on September 1.
Through a telescope, Venus is an evening crescent with its horns pointed away from the sun.
First Quarter Moon
Nearly 45° east of Venus, the evening half-full moon is 16° above the south-southwest horizon. For the next few evenings, it is in front of Scorpius, tonight, nearly 13° to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi, the Scorpion’s southern claw, and 6.9° to the lower right of Pi Scorpii, the star below the arachnid’s head, Dschubba. Tomorrow evening, the lunar orb is near Antares, the constellation’s brightest star, representing the heart in celestial artwork.
Before sunrise, Saturn and Mars are easy to find, while Jupiter returns to the eastern morning sky. Mars continues its eastward march through Gemini as Saturn retrogrades in front of Pisces. After sunset, brilliant Venus and the First Quarter moon occupy the western and southwestern sky.
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The 45-minute-before-sunrise note for Jupiter is especially helpful because it turns a vague “morning sky” recommendation into a practical viewing window. For observers with a partly obstructed eastern horizon, would binoculars extend that window enough to make Jupiter easier to pick out before sunrise, or is the main limitation still atmospheric haze near the horizon?
A binocular is always a helpful observing companion. Look for it across a natural horizon. Local weather affects the view so look for it across multiple mornings.