October 2, 2026: The moon passes Elnath before reaching Last Quarter phase. Mars approaches the Beehive cluster while Jupiter shines near Regulus and Saturn nears opposition.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:49 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:30 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Today’s Highlights
- Three Bright Planets and the Moon Before Sunrise
- Moon Near Elnath
- Mars Approaches the Beehive
- Saturn Near Opposition
Moon Near Elnath
Three bright planets and the moon are visible during morning twilight. An hour before sunrise, step outside. The slightly gibbous moon, 63% illuminated, is high in the south. It is 2° east (left) of Elnath, Taurus’ northern horn. The moon passes 1.1° south of the star at 2:00 a.m. Central Time. The lunar orb reaches the morning half-full (Last Quarter) phase at 8:25 a.m. Central Time tomorrow.
Saturn in West
Nearing opposition, when it is in the sky nearly all night, Saturn is about 15° above the western horizon. The Ringed Wonder’s telescope-viewing prospects are better when it is higher in the sky, from about two hours after sunset until two hours before sunrise. Otherwise, the planet is too low in the sky where atmospheric blurring and dimming affect the view.
Jupiter, Mars in Eastern Sky
Farther eastward, bright Jupiter is over 30° above the eastern horizon. It outshines all the stars in the sky this morning, even Sirius, nearly 30° above the southern horizon. The Jovian Giant rambles eastward in front of Leo, over 10° to Regulus’ upper right, the constellation’s brightest star.
Mars Approaches Beehive
Dimmer Mars is over halfway from the east-southeast horizon to overhead, nearly 18° to Jupiter’s upper right and over 10° below Pollux, one of the Twins. It marches eastward in front of Cancer, 5° to the upper right of the Beehive star cluster. The moon is still too bright for acceptable views of the stellar bundle, but the cluster is worth locating as Mars approaches.
Mars is slowly overtaking Jupiter. Their conjunction occurs on November 16.
The morning celestial display continues tomorrow morning when the Last Quarter moon appears near Mars.
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