September 16, 2026: Brilliant Venus shines low in evening twilight while the crescent moon appears near Antares. Saturn nears opposition, and Jupiter and Mars are in the eastern predawn sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:32 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:58 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
Today’s Highlights
- Venus After Sunset
- Evening Moon with Scorpius
- Saturn Nears Opposition
- Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise
Venus After Sunset
Brilliant Venus shines from low in the western sky during early twilight. At 30 minutes after sunset, the Evening Star is about 5° above the west-southwest horizon. Find a clear view toward the horizon in that direction. Through a telescope, the planet shows an evening crescent phase, 27% illuminated. It is overtaking Earth before it passes between our planet and the sun on October 23. Watch the phase thin and grow in size as the planet reaches its greatest brilliancy in a week.
Evening Moon With Scorpius
At 45 minutes after sunset, the lunar crescent, 33% illuminated, is nearly 15° above the southwest horizon and over 40° to Venus’ upper left. The lunar orb is in front of Scorpius, 6.5° to Antares’ lower right, the Scorpion’s brightest star, and 0.8° to Pi Scorpii’s lower left (π Sco). This phase is bright enough to cast shadows on the ground.
Saturn Nears Opposition
Saturn is nearing opposition when Earth is between the planet and the sun. Tonight, it rises less than 50 minutes after sunset. By three hours after sunset, the Ringed Wonder is nearly 35° above the east-southeast horizon. During the night, it appears farther westward and is highest in the south after local midnight. During morning twilight, it is about 30° above the west horizon.
Saturn’s rings are easy to see through a telescope. They are tilted about 10° along our line of sight and the most direct view is toward the southern hemisphere.
Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise
During morning twilight, Jupiter and Mars shine from the eastern sky. An hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is nearly 25° above the east horizon and over 13° to Regulus’ upper right, Leo’s brightest star. The Jovian Giant rambles eastward in front of Cancer. It is high enough to reveal its cloud belts and four largest moons through a telescope.
Mars, marching eastward in front of Gemini, is 5.9° to Pollux’s lower right, one of the Twins. The Red Planet passes the star in a wide conjunction tomorrow. It moves eastward faster than Jupiter. A Jupiter-Mars conjunction occurs on November 16.
Look for the bright planets and the moon during the night.
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