The bright planet gives Taurus a second “eye” as it stands north of Aldebaran this morning.
By two hours before sunrise, Taurus is well above the horizon, showcasing bright Venus as a second eye for the Bull. Credit: Stellarium
- Venus and Aldebaran appear close together in the morning sky.
- Venus is much brighter than Aldebaran.
- The Pleiades star cluster is visible nearby.
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Venus passes 3° north of Aldebaran in Taurus at midnight EDT; the pair is visible in the early-morning sky, well positioned in the east for two hours before sunrise.
Venus is notably brighter — magnitude –4.1, far outshining magnitude 0.9 Aldebaran, the brightest star in the Taurus and cataloged as Alpha (α) Tauri. Together, the two give the Bull a pair of eyes this morning, rather than its characteristic one.
Above them as they rise are the lovely Pleiades, a young open cluster visible to the naked eye. Using low power such as binoculars or a finder scope, you’ll uncover many more stars than the half-dozen or so readily observable without optical aid. Taurus continues to rise as the sky lightens with twilight, until blazing Venus is the last point of light visible in the dawn sky.
Sunrise: 5:43 A.M.
Sunset: 8:29 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:32 P.M.
Moonset: 8:28 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (91%)
*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.
