Bright Stars and Planets in the Pre-Dawn Sky

This week will see the planets Venus and Saturn in close conjunction in the sunset sky.  However, a more striking and stunning display occurs in the morning sky just before dawn.  

Looking East we find two roughly parallel lines of stars,  or rather two shallow arcs of stars.  The upper arc consists (from left to right) of the star Pollux (in Gemini), the planet Jupiter,  and the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel (in Orion).

The lower arc consists of the planet Mars, and the stars Procyon (in Canis Minor) and Sirius (in Canis Major).  

Jupiter and Sirius are by far the brightest, both being brighter than -1.6 (in the magnitude scale large positive numbers are dim while large negative numbers are very bright).  Yet these stars are some of the brightest stars in the sky; in fact Sirius IS the brightest star in the night sky.  As we slowly orbit the sun, these stars will rise about 4 minutes earlier each night, until by the time we get into winter, they will appear high in the sky around midnight.  

Not interested in getting up before dawn?  Keep an eye on the evening sky......the Harvest Moon is coming. More on that tomorrow.

Bright stars and planets in the pre-dawn sky. Created with Stellarium