September 18, 2026: The First Quarter Moon shines near Sagittarius after sunset while brilliant Venus descends into evening twilight. Saturn nears opposition, and Jupiter and Mars dominate the eastern sky before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:34 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:55 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
- First Quarter Moon
- Brilliant Venus After Sunset
- Saturn Rises Earlier
- Jupiter and Saturn Before Sunrise
First Quarter Moon
The moon is at its First Quarter phase today at 3:44 p.m. Central Time. After sunset, it is nearly 20° above the southern horizon and 4.1° to Alnasl’s upper right, the point of the Archer’s arrow. The lunar orb is nearly 18° to Antares’ left, Scorpius’ brightest star, and nearly 10° to the upper left of Shaula and Lesath at the tail and stinger.
Brilliant Venus After Sunset
Brilliant Venus slips into brighter twilight, tonight setting 60 minutes after sunset, at nautical twilight, the time when the natural horizon can be distinguished from the sky at sea. At 30 minutes after sundown, the planet is less than 5° above the west-southwest horizon and over 50° to the moon’s lower right. The Evening Star sets earlier each evening as its greatest brilliancy occurs on September 23.
Saturn Rises Earlier
Saturn, nearing opposition, rises 42 minutes after sunset. Locate a clear horizon while looking toward Venus and the eastern horizon. As Venus is near the horizon, use a binocular to find Saturn above the eastern horizon. The planets are nearly opposite in the sky. By three hours after sunset, the Ringed Wonder is easy to see about 25° above the east-southeast horizon.
At opposition, Saturn is closest to Earth and at its brightest. Through a telescope, the rings are easy to see as well as its largest moon Titan. The southern hemisphere is in direct view. The planet is over 45° above the southern horizon after midnight and over 25° above the west-southwest horizon before sunrise.
Jupiter and Saturn Before Sunrise
During morning twilight, bright Jupiter is 25° above the east horizon, rambling eastward in front of Cancer, and 23° to Regulus’ upper right, Leo’s brightest star.
Mars is 45° above the east horizon and 23° to Jupiter’s upper right. It marches eastward in front of Gemini. After its conjunction yesterday with Pollux, watch it approach and cross an imaginary line that begins at Castor and extends through Pollux. Mars is in line with the two stars on September 25.
Mars is slowly overtaking Jupiter, cutting the separation by about 0.5° each morning, about the diameter of the Full moon. Their conjunction occurs on November 16.
Look for the First Quarter moon after sunset along with brilliant Venus. Saturn is in the sky nearly all night, while bright Jupiter and Mars are in the eastern sky before sunrise.
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