Recent Articles
2020, August 14: Venus, Mars Morning Planets
Morning Planets Venus and Mars shine brightly in the sky before sunrise. Venus is low in the east, while Mars is in the southern sky.
2020, August 14: Venus, Crescent Moon, Sirius Before Sunrise
Look for Venus, crescent moon, and Sirius in the eastern sky before sunrise.
2020, August 12: Jupiter, Saturn Evening Stars
Bright Jupiter and Saturn shine from the southeastern sky after sunset during August 2020.
2020, August 12: Mars, A Planetary Dance
Mars begins its planetary dance as it nears its closest approach to Earth and its opposition with the sun.
2020, August 12: Venus Last Morning in Orion
Brilliant planet Venus is moving through the “club” region of Orion. Tomorrow it moves into Gemini.
2020, August 11: Last Call, Four Morning Planets
Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter are making their final appearance together during 2020.
2020, August 9: Venus in Orion, Mars and Moon
Brilliant Venus and Mars shine in the morning sky. Venus is in Orion and the gibbous moon appears near Mars.
2020, August 18, 19: Observe Opposing Crescent Moons
Opposing crescent moons are visible across eastern North America on the morning of August 18 and evening of August 19.
2020, August 5: Brilliant Venus Tours Orion, Mars in Pisces
Venus and Mars shine from the morning sky before sunrise. Venus moves into Orion, while Mars marches eastward in Pisces.
2020, August 4: Jupiter, Saturn Bright Evening Stars
Look for bright Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast during the hours following sunset.
Venus as a Morning Star Gallery 2020-2021
2020, June 14: The crescent Venus appears low in the east-northeast, 25 minutes before sunrise. Welcome back, Venus! 
2020, June 15: Venus appears very low in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise. 
2020, June 16: Venus is low in the east-northeast during morning twilight. Use a binocular to see its tiny crescent phase. 
2020, June 16: The crescent moon is over 36° to the upper right of Venus. 
2020, June 18: The crescent moon and brilliant Venus appear in the sky during twilight. The moon is 12° to the upper right of the Morning Star. 
2020, June 19: The moon is 1.0° to the lower left Venus during early morning twilight. 
2020, June 19: A close-up in the Venus – Moon conjunction. The moon is 1.0° to the lower left Venus. 
2020, June 22: Venus appears low in the east-northeast about 30 minutes before sunrise. 
2020, June 24: Brilliant Venus is visible in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise. 
2020, June 25: Venus appears above the trees in the the east-northeast, about 45 minutes before sunrise. 
2020, June 26: Venus appears low in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise. 
2020, June 28: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast among the stars of Taurus during morning twilight. The Pleiades appear above the planet. 
2020, June 29: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast about an hour before sunrise. The star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster are visible with a binocular. 
2020, July 1: Venus shines from low in the east-northeastern sky. No stars this morning because of an overcast sky. 
2020, July 2: Venus shines from the east-northeast during morning twilight. It is 0.9° to the upper right of δ1 Tauri. 
2020, July 3: Venus is 0.6° to the upper right of Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 3.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran. 
2020, July 4: Nearly 11° in altitude in the east-northeast, Venus is 3.4° to the upper right of α Tau and 0.4° to the right of δ1 Tau. 2020, July 4: Jupiter 2.3° below 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.2° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap) 
2020, July 5: Venus, nearly 12° up in the east-northeast, is 3.1° to the upper right of Aldebaran, 0.8° to the lower right of δ1 Tau, and 0.3° to the lower right of δ2 Tau. The Pleiades star cluster is nearly 11° above Venus. 
2020, July 6: Venus appears inside the “V” of Taurus, 0.5° below Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 2.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran. 
2020, July 7: Venus is part of a line that starts at Aldebaran and ends at δ1 Tau. It is 0.6° to the lower left of δ2 Tau. 
2020, July 9: Brilliant Venus is among the stars of the Hyades star cluster, 1.6° to the upper right of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears higher in the sky. 
2020, July 11: Brilliant Venus appears 1.0° to the upper left of the star Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above Venus. 
2020, July 13: Venus, Aldebaran, Hyades, Pleiades appear in the early morning sky. 
2020, July 13: Venus appears 1.2° to the left of Aldebaran. 
2020, July 14: Venus, Moon, and Mars span nearly 62° in the eastern morning sky. 
2020, July 14: Venus is 1.6° to the left of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above the pair. 
2020, July 20: In the east, brilliant Venus shines from among the stars of Taurus, 5.1° to the lower left of the star Aldebaran. The Hyades star cluster and Pleiades star cluster are nearby. 
2020, July 20: Venus and Mercury shines from the eastern sky. Mercury is over 23° to the lower left of the brilliant planet. 
2020, July 23: Venus and Mercury shine from the eastern sky during bright morning twilight. Mercury is nearly 24° to the lower left of Venus. 
2020, July 23: Brilliant Venus, among the stars of Taurus, is 7.3° to the lower left of Aldebaran. The Hyades star cluster and Pleiades star cluster appear nearby. 
2020, July 24: Mercury and Venus shine from the eastern sky this morning about an hour before sunrise. Mercury is 24° to the lower left of brilliant Venus. 
2020, July 25: Venus in Taurus. The planet continues to move eastward among the stars. It is moving toward ζ Tau. This morning it is 6.5° to the upper right of ζ Tau and 8.6° to the lower left of Aldebaran. 
2020, July 26: In Taurus, brilliant Venus is morning eastward toward Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau). This morning Venus is 5.8° to the upper right of the star. 
2020, July 28: Venus, in the constellation Taurus, is 4.3° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of the Bull. 
2020, August 5: Venus is 1.1° to the upper right of the star Chi1 Orionis (χ1 Ori) and 3.3° below Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of Taurus. 
2020, August 7: Venus is 0.9° below Chi1 Orionis (χ1 Ori) and 1.4° to the upper right of Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori). 
2020, August 8: Brilliant Venus is 0.5° to the upper right of Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori). 
2020, August 9: Venus is 0.5° below Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori). The planet is at its earliest rising time for the next week.
Feature Articles
2020, August 15: Moon, Venus Pair, Artistic Sight in Morning Sky
Venus and the moon make a spectacular scene before sunrise on August 15. Artists and photographers can create inspiring interpretations of the view.
2020, August 15-16: Helical Rising of Sirius
The helical rising (annual first appearance) of Sirius in the morning sky is a spectacular sight. From the mid-latitudes, Sirius can be spotted for the first time during mid-August.
2020-2021: Brilliant Planet Venus as a Morning Star
Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines brightly in the morning sky during 2020 and early 2021.
2020, October 13: Mars at Opposition
Mars is at opposition, October 13, 2020.
1623: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
The 2020 Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is the closest conjunction of these giant planets since their conjunction in 1623.
