Recent Articles
2021, December 28: Andromeda High in South
December 28, 2021: The Great Andromeda Galaxy is nearly overhead at the end of the evening twilight.
2021, December 29: Moon Nears Scorpion, Venus Departs
December 29, 2021: The morning crescent moon approaches Scorpius and Mars. In the evening sky, four evening planets – Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter – are lined up in the southwest. Venus is rapidly leaving the evening sky.
2021, November 28: Evening Planets on Parade
November 28, 2021: During twilight this evening, the three bright evening planets – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – are on parade in the southwestern sky.
2021, December 28: Venus Slips, Mercury Hops
December 28, 2021: Brilliant Venus is quickly slipping from the evening sky. Mercury appears beneath Venus after sunset. This duo is joined by Jupiter and Saturn. In the morning, Mars is near Antares and the moon near Spica.
2021, December 27: Mars – Antares Conjunction
December 27, 2021: The Red Planet Mars passes Antares this morning before sunrise. At the same hour, the moon is near Spica. The three bright planets – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – are in the evening sky.
2021, November 25: Hello from Mars
November 25, 2021: This is my postcard to my friends on Earth.
2021, December 21: Winter Solstice
December 21, 2021: The winter solstice occurs at 9:59 a.m. CST. Mars is in the morning sky along with a bright moon. The planet pack – Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – is in the southwestern sky after sunset.
2021, December 19-21: Gemini Moon
December 19, 20, and 21, 2021: The bright moon leading up to the winter solstice appears in the western sky before sunrise in front of Gemini.
2021, November 22: Nearly 5,000 Exoplanets
November 22, 2021: NASA Says, “Scientists have added a whopping 301 newly confirmed exoplanets to the total exoplanet tally.”
2021, December 18: Venus Retrogrades
December 18, 2021: Venus begins to retrograde this evening. It appears in the southwest after sunset, along with bright Jupiter and Saturn. The moon is caught between the Bull’s horns this evening. In the morning sky, Mars passes the star Graffias.
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.
Feature Articles
2021: Venus as an Evening Star
2021: Venus is the evening star that is visible in the west for the rest of the year beginning in late April. The crescent moon appears with Venus each month. Venus conjunctions occur with Mercury, Mars and bright stars.
2020: Great Conjunction Slideshow
On December 21, 2020, Jupiter passes Saturn in a conjunction. Because they are infrequent, occurring every 19.6 years, they are called great conjunctions
1623: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
Did anybody observe the Jupiter – Saturn Great Conjunction of 1623? It was the closest until the Great Conjunction of 2020 with Jupiter passes close to Saturn on December 21, 2020.
2020: December 21: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
On December 21, 2020, in a close conjunction, Jupiter passes Saturn in the evening sky This is known as a Great Conjunction. Look toward the southwest about one hour after sunset. The bright “star” is Jupiter. Dimmer Saturn is immediately to the Giant Planet’s upper right.