Venus is at its best, 40 degrees high at sunset and not setting until 10:45 pm. The Moon is 4 degrees below Venus on the evening of the 22nd, a great sight. Good eyes can see the pair during the daytime, such as around 3:30 pm when Venus is 84 degrees high. On the 22nd, the Moon is 7 degrees to the west, on the 23rd, 6 degrees to the east.
Mars is in the vicinity of Pollux and Castor all month. On the 15th, they form an 11-degree long line of “stars” of similar brightness.
Saturn rises around 2 am.
Jupiter follow Saturn around 4 am during dawn.
Mercury is barely visible after the 24th when it rises at 4:15 am.
On the morning of the 7th, the Moon occults Jupiter from 4:18 to 5:11 am. It takes a minute each to cover or uncover Jupiter’s large disk. The disappearance is difficult to observe since the pair is only 2 degrees above the horizon, 10 minutes after they rise. The reappearance is difficult to watch naked eye because of bright twilight, just 14 minutes before sunrise. However it should look great in binoculars or a telescope. Interestingly, the shadows of Io and Europa will remain on the disk until well past sunrise but the air may be too turbulent to pick them out.
