September 29, 2026: Mars approaches the Beehive star cluster before sunrise while Saturn nears opposition. Jupiter dominates the morning sky as Venus departs the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:46 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:36 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
- Mars Marches Eastward
- Saturn Nearly All Night
- Bright Moon
- Venus Departs Evening Sky
Mars Marches Eastward
Mars continues its eastward march before sunrise. The Red Planet is in front of Cancer.
Step outside an hour before sunrise. Bright Jupiter is about one-third of the way from the eastern horizon to overhead and less than 11° to Regulus’ upper right, Leo’s brightest star.
Mars is over halfway from the east-southeast horizon to overhead and over 18° to Jupiter’s upper right — roughly twice the Jupiter–Regulus distance. Marching eastward in front of Cancer, the Red Planet approaches the Beehive star cluster. This morning, Mars and the cluster fit tightly into the same binocular field of view, although better views are ahead as the bright morning moon wanes.
During the next several weeks, watch Mars continue closing the gap with Jupiter before passing the Jovian Giant on November 16.
Saturn Nearly All Night
Meanwhile, Saturn is in the southwestern sky at this hour, 30° to the moon’s lower right. After sunset tonight, find the Ringed Wonder in the eastern sky. Two hours after sundown, it is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon.
Saturn nears opposition on October 4, when Earth is between the planet and the sun. It is in the sky nearly all night, rising in the east at sunset, appearing southward around local midnight, and setting in the west near sunrise. The planet and sun appear in opposite directions in the sky.
Through a telescope, Saturn’s rings are slightly tilted, with the most direct view toward the southern hemisphere.
Bright Moon
As the Harvest Moon interval ends, the moon remains visible for a large fraction of the night. When looking for Saturn after sunset, the gibbous moon, 86% illuminated, is low in the east-northeast. Before sunrise, the moon is over 40° to Saturn’s lower left. The separation is 30°.
Venus Departs Evening Sky
Venus continues to depart the evening sky. At 20 minutes after sunset, use a binocular to find it near the west-southwest horizon. The Evening Star reaches inferior conjunction on October 23 and then quickly moves into the east-southeastern predawn sky.
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