Last Minute Astronomer

Send us Fan Mail

     With April being SUCH a packed month of events that were dependent on precise timing, May brings us reliable sights with slow-rolling changes. Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and the Moon all dance in the morning twilight all month as we gear up for Spring and Summer constellations.

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset - None

Throughout the night - None

Morning - Saturn, Mars, Mercury – These three planets start the month off pretty close to each other.  Saturn is up in the SE, with Mars about 15° to the left, and Mercury about 15° to the left of that, very low on the horizon.  Through the month, Saturn moves far to the right, and Mercury to the left.  On the 31st, they are 30° away from each other. 

EVENTS

Last Quarter Moon – 1st (Visible midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 7th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 15th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 23rd (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

Last Quarter Moon – 30th (Visible midnight into the morning)

2nd - 6th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Saturn, Mars, Mercury – Get out between 5:00am and 6:00am and get a very clear look at the Eastern horizon.  During that hour, you should be able to see the Moon as a VERY thin crescent.  On the 2nd, the Moon will be to the right of the planets, which, moving from right to left, are Saturn, Mars, and Mercury, each about 15° apart from each other.  Each day the Moon will move to the left about 12° toward and then through the planets. On the 3rd, it will be closer, but still to the right of Saturn. On the 4th, right in between Mars and Saturn. 5th, between Mars and Mercury, and right next to Mercury on the 6th.  You’ll need some very clear views to pick up all of the planets, but it is doable.

31st – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Saturn – Only 1­° apart! You’ll be able to fit your pinky in between Saturn and the 3rd quarter Moon this night.  Just look SE, find the Moon, and Saturn will be right above it. 

And that’s the sky for this month!  If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram.  Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission. 

Send us Fan Mail

Social Media Links

April of 2024: Finally the month of the eclipse! A wonderful experience for North America, the Lyrid Meteor Shower, and lots of planetary action makes April of 2024 one of THE best months in a LONG time.

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset

Jupiter – LAST CALL FOR JUPITER!  SUPER bright in the SW, about 30˚ up in the sky, setting before 10:30pm at the beginning of April, but sinking all the way down to being lost in the twilight by month’s end. 

Morning

Mars, Saturn, (Mercury?) – On the 1st, Saturn will be about 10˚ above the ESE horizon, and Mars about 5˚ up and to the right of that.  The challenge will be how bright the sky gets at sunrise at 6:50am and how low the planets are.  But, as the month goes by, Mars will stay relatively the same distance from the Sun, while Saturn moves to the right, and passes Mars on the 10th.  Eventually, on the 30th, Saturn will be 20˚ above the horizon at sunrise, with Mars 12˚ to the left, and perhaps an appearance of Mercury 17˚ left and down from Mars.  The clearer your view, the better your chances.

EVENTS 

5th - 6th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Mars, Saturn– Get out between 5:30am and 6:30am and get a very clear look at the ESE horizon.  During that hour, you should be able to see the Moon as a VERY thin crescent, with Saturn bright and 14 ̊ to the left of the Moon, with Mars up and to the right of Saturn a little bit.  Then, on the 6th, the Moon will move to be below both Saturn and Mars, making a thin triangle.

8th – TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – We’re going to skip over that, not because it’s not important.  I’ve been preparing for it for 6 years now.  But we’ve had PLENTY of coverage of it so far and there are better places to give you more information that you’re looking for.  In fact, I’ll link some videos I’ve created or participated in for better info.

10th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Mars, Saturn – Get out again between 5:30am and 6:30am and get a very clear look at the ESE.  Mars and Saturn will be as close as they’re gonna get, about ½˚ apart, with Mars on top. It’ll be tough to see, all that more rewarding when you do. 

10th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Jupiter – Get out after sunset, look W, and the Moon will be only 4˚ to the right of Jupiter.  

22nd – LYRID METEOR SHOWER – At only 10-20 meteors per hour, it is a minor shower, and we have essentially a Full Moon to get massively in the way of observing.  The shower is greatest on the 22nd, but you might see some on the 21st and 23rd as well.  

All you need to know to prep for the 2024 Eclipse (in Lancaster County)

S2 E1 Preparing For The Eclipse - Cosmos Safari Podcast - Presented by Celestron 

And that’s the sky for this month!  If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram.  Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission. 

Send us Fan Mail

 Last Minute Astronomer March 2024

Social Media Links

March of 2024: Spring will start, Venus gets real close to Saturn, Jupiter is on its way out, and the mornings tease us with some challenging encounters between 3 planets. 

 I’m Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare.  As usual, we’ll start by talking about where the naked eye planets are this month, move on to the lunar phases, and finish up with a calendar of events, so you can plan ahead better than me. 

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset

Jupiter – SUPER bright in the SW, about halfway up the sky, setting before 11pm.  Just find the brightest point of light in that direction, and you’ve got it.  By month’s end, it’ll only be 30˚ above the W horizon and set around 10pm.

Morning

Mars, Saturn, Venus – MAYBE by March 31st, you’ll be able to see all three of these planets in the morning before sunrise.  On the 31st, Venus (the brightest) will be 5˚ above the horizon, Saturn about 5˚ up and to the right, and Mars about 5˚ up and to the right of that.  The challenge will be how bright the sky gets at sunrise at 6:50am and how low the planets are. 

EVENTS

7th - 8th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Venus, Mars – Get out between 5:30am and 6:30am and get a very clear look at the SE horizon.  During that hour, you should be able to see the Moon as a VERY thin crescent, with Venus very bright and 20˚ to the left of the Moon on the 7th.  It’ll probably be too bright, but Mars will be in between the two, a little closer to Venus. Then, on the 8th, the Moon will move to be below Venus and Mars, making a very nice almost equilateral triangle.

13th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Jupiter – Get out after sunset, look W, and the Moon will be only 3˚ to the right of Jupiter.  

20th – Spring Equinox - Astronomically the first day of Spring, even though meteorologically Spring starts in the beginning of March.  Here’s some more info. 

22nd – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Saturn, Venus – Just after 6:30am, if you can catch Venus rising in the East, Saturn will be less than 2˚ to the right.

25th – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – Only a very slight dimming of the Moon. 

And that’s the sky for this month!  If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram.  Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission. 

Send us Fan Mail

January of 2024  has some slight changes to Saturn and Jupiter in the sky, 4 visible naked-eye planets, and a couple of close encounters.

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset

Saturn – Starts off January about 30˚ above the horizon in the SW, and sinks to about 15˚ by month’s end. Fairly dim, but still brighter than all the stars around it.

Jupiter – SUPER bright in the SSE, about halfway up the sky.  Just find the brightest point of light in that direction, and you’ve got it.  

Throughout the night

Saturn & Jupiter – With Saturn starting about 30˚ above the horizon in the SW and Jupiter in the SE, these two march westward through the night.  Saturn sets in the West around 9:30pm at the beginning of the month and 7:30 at the end.  Jupiter sets in the West around 2:30am at the beginning of the month, 12:30am at the end.

Morning

Venus – Venus again is on its slow, slinky, sinking way out.  Getting lower and lower every morning, as it orbits behind the Sun, with Earth trailing it.  Probably too low to see starting February, and not really visible in the evening until maybe July.  But this month, between 4:30am and 5:30am, Venus will be above the horizon, rising to about 20˚ above the horizon by sunrise, in the beginning of the month, 10˚ at the end.  Brilliant, brighter than everything around it.

Mercury – Barely visible the first 2 weeks of January.  Get out between 6am and 7:30am, and look SE.  Find super bright Venus, and then down and to the left, about halfway toward the horizon (15˚), is Mercury.  You’ll need a very clear and low horizon. 

Last Quarter Moon – 3rd (Visible midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 11th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents 

First Quarter Moon – 17th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 25th (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous 

7th - 9th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Venus, Mercury – The main catch here is a very thin crescent Moon and bright Venus, but Mercury is also around, but very low and hard to see.  Get out around 6am and find a very clear view of the SE.  If you can see below Venus, you’re probably good.  On the 7th, the Moon will be up and to the right of Venus about 16˚, with Mercury down and to the left of Venus about the same distance.  The next morning, the 8th, the Moon will have moved to be about 7˚ down and to the right of Venus.  Technically, you might be able to catch the Moon on the morning of the 9th, but it will be quite difficult without the clearest of horizons after 6:30am.  The Moon, Mercury, and Venus will make a beautiful triangle. 

13th - 14th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Saturn – Get out after sunset, look SW, and the Moon will be about 8˚ below Saturn.  Then on the 14th, the Moon will be roughly on the opposite side of Saturn.

18th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Jupiter – The Moon is only about 3˚ above bright Jupiter

And that’s the sky for this month!  If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram.  Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission. 

Send us Fan Mail

Some slight changes to Saturn and Jupiter in the sky, the start of a big change for Venus, and even more rocks fall from the sky this December here on the Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare.  Let’s start by talking about the naked eye planets visible this month, the lunar phases, and then the meteor shower and other events, so you can plan ahead better than me. 

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset

Saturn – About 30˚ to 35˚ above the horizon in the South. Fairly dim, but still brighter than all the stars around it.

Jupiter – SUPER bright in the SouthEast, about halfway up the sky.  Just find the brightest point of light in that direction, and you’ve got it.  

Throughout the night

Saturn & Jupiter – With Saturn starting about 30˚ above the horizon in the South and Jupiter in the East, these two march westward through the night.  Saturn sets in the West around 11pm at the beginning of the month and 9:30 at the end.  Jupiter sets in the West around 4:30am at the beginning of the month, 2am at the end.

Morning

Venus – Venus is on its way out!  Getting lower and lower every morning, as it orbits behind the Sun, with Earth trailing it.  Probably too low to see starting February, and not really visible in the evening until maybe July.  But this month, between 3:30am and 4:30am, Venus will be above the horizon, rising to about 30˚ above the horizon by sunrise, in the beginning of the month, 20˚ at the end.  Brilliant, brighter than everything around it.

LUNAR PHASES

Last Quarter Moon – 5th (Visible midnight into the morning)

Morning Crescents (look East in the AM)

New Moon – 12th (darkest skies)

Evening Crescents (look West after Sunset)

First Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible until midnight)

Evening Gibbous (Mostly lit, after Sunset)

Full Moon – 26th (Visible all night)

Waning Gibbous (Mostly lit, rises later at night)

EVENTS

9th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Venus – The Waning Crescent Moon is 4˚ away from Venus.  Visible in the East by 4am until the sun rises. 

13th – 14th – Geminid Meteor Shower – A VERY good year for this shower, as there is only a thin crescent Moon which sets early.  So get out there and take advantage of the possible 100 meteors per hour!  

When? Really, any time of the night is good, though the closer you are to dawn on the 14th, the better.

But be well prepared…

• Commit yourself to staying out at least 20 minutes.
• Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or hammock
• Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear 
• Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.  
• You never know when a nice meteor will burn up, to take a nice look at the sky in general

17th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Saturn – The Moon is just 3˚ below Saturn.  Visible toward the South after sunset, setting in the SW around 10pm.

21st – Winter Solstice - The longest night and shortest day of the yea

And that’s the sky for this month!  If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram.  Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.