Key Takeaways:
- Jupiter and Venus are prominent in the pre-dawn sky, rising at approximately 1:30 AM and 4:15 AM local daylight time, respectively.
- Jupiter's magnitude is -2.0, significantly brighter than Pollux (magnitude 1.2) and Castor (magnitude 1.6) in Gemini.
- Venus, with a magnitude of -3.9, is exceptionally bright in the eastern sky near the constellation Leo, approximately 10° above the horizon around 5:15 AM.
- The planets' positions are noted along the ecliptic, with Venus approaching Regulus (magnitude 1.4) over the following days.
Jupiter and Venus lead the Sun into the early-morning sky, rising around 1:30 A.M. and 4:15 A.M. local daylight time, respectively. Jupiter stands some 7.5° to the right of the bright star Pollux in Gemini as they rise. Magnitude 1.2 Pollux marks the head of one twin, while just above it, magnitude 1.6 Castor marks the other. Jupiter, at magnitude –2.0, far outshines them both.
All the planets in our solar system lie along the ecliptic, an imaginary line in the sky marking the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun (the plane of our solar system). You can find the ecliptic by looking to the lower left of Jupiter, down through central Cancer to land on bright Venus in Leo, about 10° above the eastern horizon around 5:15 A.M. local daylight time. Venus is a blazing magnitude –3.9, far outshining anything else in the eastern sky and impossible to miss. Over the next several days, it will close in on bright Regulus, Leo’s magnitude 1.4 alpha star, which currently lies about 7.5° to Venus’ lower left, also along the ecliptic.
Sunrise: 6:39 A.M.
Sunset: 7:12 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:46 P.M.
Moonset: 1:53 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (58%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
