Article Index

Recent Articles

2026, October 28: Hunter’s Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in the Sky

October 28, 2026: Find the bright Hunter’s Moon near the Pleiades before sunrise, watch Mars approach Jupiter and Regulus, and observe Saturn through a telescope after sunset.

2026, October 27: Moon Occults Pleiades Stars – Views from Boston to Phoenix

October 27, 2026: The bright Hunter’s Moon occults stars in the Pleiades across northeastern North America. Compare views from Boston, Miami, Chicago, Denver, and Phoenix.

2026, October 26-28: Moon and Pleiades

October 26-28, 2026: Follow the bright gibbous moon as it approaches and occults stars in the Pleiades. Find nightly positions and viewing tips.

2026, October 25: Full Hunter’s Moon and Planet Almanac

October 25, 2026: Find the Full Hunter’s Moon near Saturn, Jupiter and Mars before sunrise, and observing details for Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune.

2026, October 24: Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus Line Up; Hunter’s Moon Near Saturn

October 24, 2026: Find Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus lined up before sunrise. After sunset, the nearly full Hunter’s Moon appears near Saturn.

2026, October 23: Venus Changes from Evening Star to Morning Star

October 23, 2026: Venus reaches inferior conjunction as Mars approaches Jupiter before sunrise. After sunset, find the bright Hunter’s Moon near Saturn.

2026, October 22: Morning Mars and Jupiter, Evening Hunter’s Moon and Saturn

October 22, 2026: Watch Mars close the gap to Jupiter before sunrise, then find the Hunter’s Moon near Saturn after sunset.

2026, October 21-24: Hunter’s Moon Passes Saturn

October 21-24, 2026: The bright Hunter’s Moon approaches Saturn. Follow the Moon’s changing position and view Saturn’s slightly-tilted rings through a telescope.

2026, October 20: Arcturus: The Star That Helped Open Chicago’s 1933 World’s Fair

October 20, 2026: Find Arcturus and the Big Dipper in the western sky after sunset. Discover the star’s seasonal transition and its role in Chicago’s 1933 World’s Fair.

2026, October 19: Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise, Saturn After Sunset

October 19. 2026: Find bright Jupiter and Mars before sunrise, the gibbous Moon after sunset, and Saturn through a telescope. Learn how Saturn’s retrograde motion works.

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 16: The brilliant planet Venus is about 12° to the upper right of the crescent moon. Pollux is 6.6° to the left of the lunar crescent.
2020, August 20: Venus shines with Orion and its bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel.
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.
2020, September 4: Venus moves into Cancer to the lower right of Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins.
2020, September 5: Morning Star Venus appears during twilight with Sirius, Procyon, Orion, and Gemini.
2020, September 5: Venus – among Cancer’s dim stars – is 9.9° to the lower right of Pollux.
2020, September 4: Venus moves into Cancer to the lower right of Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins.
2020, September 14: The moon is 5.0° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, September 14: Through a hazy sky, the moon is 5.0° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, September 18: Venus is in the east before sunrise. It is 1.4° to the lower left of Omicron Cancri (ο Cnc).
2020, September 18: Brilliant Morning Star Venus appears with Sirius, Procyon, Castor, Pollux, Betelgeuse and Rigel.
2020, September 25: Moving eastward in Leo, Venus is 4.8° to the upper left of Omicron Leonis (ο Leo).
2020, October 1: Brilliant Venus shines from the eastern sky. The planet is stepping eastward in Leo. This morning it is 1.7° to the upper right of Regulus (α Leo) and 0.7° to the lower left of Nu Leonis (ν Leo).
202, October 5: Venus is 2.9° to the lower left of Regulus and 3.6° to the upper right of Rho Leonis (ρ Leo). Venus is nearly along a line that connects the two stars.
2020, October 6: Venus shines brightly from the eastern sky before sunrise. This morning it is 4.1° to the lower left of Regulus and 2.5° to the upper right of Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the chart.)
2020: October 7: Venus is 5.2° to the lower left of Regulus and 1.3° above Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the photo).
2020, October 8: Venus passes 0.5° to the upper left of ρ Leo.
2020, October 24: Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines from the morning sky in front of the stars of Virgo. It is 1.9° above Beta Virginis (β Vir) and 3.4° to the lower right of Nu Virginis (ν Vir).
2020, October 28: Brilliant Morning Star Venus is in front of the stars of Virgo, 3.1° to the lower left of Beta Virginis (β Vir on the photo) and 4.6° to the upper right of Eta Virginis (η Vir).
2020, October 30: Before sunrise, Venus – shining from the east-southeast – is 2.1° above Eta Virginis (η Vir on the photo) and 5.5° to the lower left of Beta Virginis (β Vir).
2020, November 2: One hour before sunrise, Venus is 4.0° to the upper right of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir) and 1.4° to the lower left of Eta Virginis (η Vir).
2020, November 7: About 40 minutes before sunrise, Mercury – low in the east-southeast – is 5.1° to the left of Spica. Brilliant Morning Star Venus gleams from higher in the sky.
2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir). Mercury is 12.9° to the lower left of Venus. Spica is behind clouds.
2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir). Spica is 6.5° to the lower right of Venus, Mercury is hidden by clouds.
2020, November 13: Sparkling Venus – nearly 18° up in the east-southeast – is 8.1° to the upper right of the old moon and 5.5° to the upper left of Spica. The lunar crescent is 6.9° to the lower left of Spica and 5.1° above Mercury.
2020, November 16: Brilliant Venus shines in the east-southeast during morning twilight. It is 3.8° to the upper left of Spica and 13.0° to the upper right of Mercury.
2020, November 18: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, Venus is 4.3° to the left of Spica in the east-southeastern sky. Mercury is 13.4° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, November 20: Before sunrise, bright Venus is low in the east-southeast, 5.8° to the lower left of Spica. Mercury is low in the sky.
2020, November 23: Venus shines from the east-southeast before sunrise.
2020, November 28: Venus in the morning sky.
2020, November 29: Before sunrise, Venus is over 16° to the lower left of Spica and 2.8° to the lower left of Lambda Virginis (λ Vir).
2020, December 1: Venus is 3.3° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi.
2020, December 2: One hour before sunrise, Venus is 2.2° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi .
2020, December 3: One hour before sunrise, Venus – low in the east-southeast – is 1.3° to the upper left of Zubenelgenubi.
2020, December 4: Brilliant Venus is 1.4° to the left of Zubenelgenubi.
2020, December 9, 2020: Venus low in the southeast.