2026, August 29: Moon Near Saturn, Venus Approaches Spica, and Jupiter Rises Before Sunrise

August 29, 2026: The bright Sturgeon Moon nears Saturn while Venus closes in on Spica. Before sunrise, Jupiter rises higher each morning and Mars continues its eastward march through Gemini.

2022, June 18: The moon (overexposed) and Saturn.
Photo Caption – 2022, June 18: The moon (overexposed) and Saturn.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:14 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:29 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

Almanac for Sun, Moon, Planets

Sun, Moon

Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, daylight spans 13 hours, 15 minutes, compared to 12 hours, 43 minutes in Miami. Farther northward, the sun is in the sky for 14 hours, 30 minutes, compared to 11 hours, 9 minutes in Auckland. The sun is overhead at local noon at latitude 9° north. In Nashville, at a latitude nearly equidistant from the equator as Auckland, daylight lasts 13 hours, 14 minutes. As the equinox approaches, notice how the daylight lengths in Chicago, Miami, and Nashville are converging.

Saturn, Moon, August 29, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, August 29: An hour before sunrise, Saturn and the moon are in the southwestern sky.

Moon: The bright Sturgeon Moon, 96% illuminated, is in the sky nearly all night as it nears a conjunction with Saturn. During morning twilight, find the lunar orb nearly 30° above the west-southwest horizon, over 20° to Saturn’s lower right. See the evening location in the Saturn section.

Inner Planets

Mercury: The Elusive Planet passed inferior conjunction two days ago. It is moving into the evening sky, setting tonight nearly 15 minutes after sunset. This evening apparition suffers from a shallow angle the ecliptic – the plane of the solar system – makes with the western horizon after sunset for northern hemisphere observers, but is better placed in the southern hemisphere. It is farthest from the sun during early October.

Venus, Spica, August 29, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, August 29: Venus is low in the west-southwest after sunset near Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.

Venus: The Evening Star shines from the west-southwest after sunset. It approaches Spica for a conjunction in three nights. Their separation is 2.8° tonight. Use a binocular to watch Venus move closer, then step away after the conjunction.

Bright Outer Planets

Jupiter, Mars, August 29, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, August 29: An hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter and Mars are in the eastern sky.

Mars and Jupiter are in the eastern sky before sunrise. At one hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is nearly 10° above the east-northeast horizon. It continues to rise earlier each morning, appearing higher in the sky at this time interval before sunrise. Mars is nearly 30° above the east horizon and about the same distance to Jupiter’s upper right. The Red Planet marches eastward in front of Gemini, 13° to Castor’s upper right, one of the Twins. Mars overtakes and passes Jupiter on November 16.

Saturn, Moon, August 29, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, August 29. Three hours after sunset, the bright gibbous moon are in the east-southeastern sky.

Saturn: The Ringed Wonder is in the sky nearly all night. Rising about 90 minutes after sunset, it is over 15° above the east horizon three hours after sunset. During the night it is an excellent telescopic target where the view is toward the southern hemisphere and southern side of the rings.

Far Outer Planets

Binocular View, Uranus, August 29, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, August 29: Through a binocular before morning twilight begins, Uranus is between Omega Tauri (ω Tau) and 37 Tauri (37 Tau).

Uranus: The Tilted World is near the Pleiades star cluster, which is high in the east-southeast about two hours before sunrise. Moonlight affects the planet’s visibility. Use a binocular to attempt to find Uranus about one-third of the way from Omega Tauri (ω Tau) to 37 Tauri (37 Tau).

Neptune: The Distant Planet is about 10° to Saturn’s lower right. Its visibility is overwhelmed by moonlight. Even on the clearest nights away from city lights, the planet is very challenging to see.

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