Recent Articles
2020, Mars During November
The Red Planet’s retrograde motion ends during mid-November. The planet slowly resumes its eastward direction among the dim stars of Pisces. Bright Mars is visible in the east-southeastern sky after sunset during November.
2020, November 3: Morning Star Venus, Mercury and Moon, Bull’s Horns
Mercury begins to join Morning Star Venus in the eastern sky before sunrise. The moon is in the morning sky in the west. Three evening planets are found after sunset, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Mars is in the east-southeast and the Jupiter – Saturn pair is in the south-southwest after sunset. Four hours after sunset, look for the moon between the bull’s horns.
2020, November 2: Morning Star Venus, Mercury and Evening Planets
Mercury begins to join Morning Star Venus in the eastern sky before sunrise. The moon is in the morning sky in the west. Three evening planets are found after sunset, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Mars is in the east-southeast and the Jupiter – Saturn pair is in the south-southwest after sunset. Today is a heliocentric conjunction for Jupiter and Saturn.
2020, November: Brilliant Morning Star Venus and Mercury
Brilliant Venus continues to shine brightly in the morning sky. Venus is “that bright star” in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Venus steps eastward in Virgo as Mercury makes its best morning appearance for the year. The crescent moon joins the bright inner planets on November 12 and November 13.
2020, November 1: Speedy Mercury, Evening Planets
Speedy Mercury joins Morning Star Venus in the eastern sky before sunrise. The first rock from the sun is entering the morning sky for its best appearance of the year. In the evening, Mars shines in the eastern sky, while in the south-southwest Jupiter edges toward its Great Conjunction with Saturn on December 21, 2020.
2020, October 26: Morning Star Venus, Evening Moon, Planets
Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines in the eastern sky among the stars of Pisces. Mars is visible earlier in the morning, but is low in the sky when Venus rises. In the evening, Mars shines from the east, while Jupiter and Saturn are in the south-southwest as a prelude to their Great Conjunction on December 21, 2020. The moon appears to the upper right of Mars.
2020, October 25: Morning Star Venus, Evening Moon, Planets
The brilliant Morning Star Venus continues to step through Virgo. It is that “bright star in the eastern sky” before sunrise. This morning Venus is near Beta Virginis. In the evening sky, the gibbous moon is between Mars and Jupiter, and near the star Fomalhaut. Mars is in the east-southeast. Jupiter and Saturn are in the east-southeast.
2020, October 24: Morning Star Venus, Evening Planets Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Bright Morning Star Venus continues to sparkle in the eastern sky before sunrise. It shines from in front of the stars of Virgo. Evening planet Mars appears in the eastern sky while Jupiter and Saturn are in the south-southwest. The bright gibbous moon shines from the stars of Capricornus.
2020: Daylight Saving Time Commentary
In this commentary is a different idea about year-round daylight time, based on astronomical concepts for the mid-northern latitudes. Year-round or not, a different approach may yield better results.
2020, October 23: Last Call for Venus and Mars in Morning Sky
Mars and Morning Star Venus are nearing their opposition so that they do not appear together in the morning sky for the remainder of 2020. In the evening sky, three planets – Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – along with the moon, are easy to locate.
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. 
2020, August 10: Venus is 1.3° to the lower left of χ2 Ori and 2.8° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum (η Gem). 
2020, August 12: Venus is 2.7° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum (η Gem) and 2.5° to the lower right of Mu Geminorum (μ Gem). 
2020, August 14: Venus is 2.5° to the lower right of Mu Geminorum (μ Gem ), 4.6° above Gamma Geminorum (γ Gem), and 0.7° to the upper right of Nu Geminorum (ν Gem). 
2020, August 14, 2020: One day before their close grouping, the crescent moon is 13° to the upper right of Morning Star Venus. Sirius is making its first morning appearance in the east-southeast. 
2020, August 16: Venus and the crescent moon appear in the eastern sky during morning twilight. 
2020, August 20: Venus is 4.8° to the left of Gamma Geminorum (γ Gem) and 3.0° to the upper right of Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem). 
2020: August 21, 2020: Sirius shines from low in the east-southeast during morning twilight. Brilliant Venus is higher in the sky in the east. 
2020, August 22: Brilliant Venus shines from the eastern sky. It is 1.1° to the upper right of Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem). Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins, are to the lower left. 
2020, August 30: Venus is is to the lower right of Pollux. The planet is 4.2° below Delta Geminorum (δ Gem) and 5.0° to the lower left of Lambda Geminorum (λ Gem). 
2020, August 30: Venus and a bright contingent of bright stars – Castor, Pollux, Procyon, Sirius, Rigel and Betelgeuse appear in the morning sky.
Feature Articles
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.
2020: December 21: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs on December 21, 2020. Jupiter passes Saturn in the southwestern evening sky. This is the closest conjunction of the two planets since 1623. Jupiter – Saturn conjunctions occur every 19.6 years.
