When the Curves Line Up

February 8, 2022: Three planets – Venus, Mercury, and Mars – are in the southeastern sky before sunrise.  As night falls, Jupiter is low in the west-southwest.  The moon is near the Pleiades star cluster. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 8: Morning Planet Bunch

February 7, 2022:  Venus, Mercury, and Mars shine in the southeast before sunup.  Jupiter is low in the west-southwest and the moon is high in the sky after sundown. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 7: Planetary Alignments, Evening Moon

February 4, 2022:  The sun is between Saturn and Earth today.  This is Saturn’s conjunction.  The language of sky watching. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 4:  Saturn at Conjunction

February 3, 2021:  Winter’s midpoint occurs this evening at 9:46 p.m. CDT. Groundhog Day is near the midway point of the season. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 3:  Winter’s Midpoint  

February 2-9, 2022:  Mercury joins Venus and Mars as morning planets in the southeast before sunrise.  Mars moves in for its conjunction with Venus. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 2-9:  Mercury’s Morning Planet Dance  

January 30, 2022:  Morning Star Venus’ retrograde in the east-southeast before sunrise.  Venus joins Mars in the morning sky.  Jupiter is the lone bright planet in the evening sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, January 30:  Morning Star Venus’ Retrograde Ends  

February 5, 2022:  Venus begins its interval of greatest brightness in the morning sky, with Mercury and Mars nearby.  Jupiter and the crescent moon are in the evening sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: 2022, February 5:  Morning Star Venus Brightest  

February 2, 2022: Mars passes the top of the Teapot of Sagittarius before sunrise.  After sundown, the crescent moon appears with Jupiter in the west-southwest. Venus and Mercury are in the morning sky with the Red Planet. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/24/2022-february-mars-passes-teapot-evening-moon-and-jupiter/

January 18, 2022: Saturn slowly leaves the evening sky.  Bright Jupiter oversees the act from higher in the southwest.  In the morning, Venus, Mars, and the moon brighten the predawn sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/23/2022-january-18-saturns-disappearing-act/

January 29, 2022:  Morning Star Venus, Mars, and the lunar crescent are loosely grouped together in the southeastern sky before sunrise.  Mercury is slowly entering the morning sky.  Bright Jupiter is lone bright planet in the evening sky, setting about two hours after sundown. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/22/2022-january-29-...

January 17, 2022:  Morning Star Venus joins Mars in the southeastern sky before sunrise.  Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southwest during the evening’s early hours.  Look for the moon near the star Pollux. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/21/2022-january-17-four-bright-planets/

January 16, 2022:  Mercury is leaving the evening sky, followed by Saturn.  Bright Jupiter is in the southwest after sundown.  Venus and Mars are in the southeast before sunup. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/20/2022-january-16-goodbye-mercury/

January 15, 2022: Saturn and Mercury are slowly fading into bright twilight.  Jupiter stands in the southwest after sunset.  The bright moon is farther eastward.  Morning Star Venus is beginning to appear with Mars before sunrise. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/19/2022-january-15-saturn-mercury-slow-fade/

January 14, 2022: Brilliant Morning Star Venus is emerging from bright twilight to appear in the eastern sky before sunrise.  Mars is visible earlier during twilight.  Three bright planets – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury – and the moon are in the early evening sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/18/2022-january-14-hello-venus/

2022, January 19-22:  The bright moon appears near the stars of Leo. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/17/2022-january-19-22-moon-with-leo/

2022: The morning sky is full of planet activity. Morning Star Venus passes Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Look eastward for the dance of planets before sunrise during the year. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/16/2022-morning-star-venus-the-morning-planets/

During 2022, Morning Star Venus puts on a magnificent dance with Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the moon in eastern sky before sunrise. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/15/2022-venus-as-a-morning-star/

January 15-17, 2022:  The bright evening moon appears in front of the stars of Gemini. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/14/2022-january-15-17-twin-moon/

January 13, 2022:  Mercury and Saturn are still close to their near-conjunction point.  The gap between them is a little wider this evening.  Jupiter is the “bright star” in the southwest, to the upper left of Saturn after sundown.  The evening moon is in front of Taurus.  In the morning, Mars continues its slow climb into the morning sky, while Venus is zipping through pr...

January 12, 2022:  Mercury moves to 3.4° to Saturn.  This quasi-conjunction, or near conjunction, of the two planets is visible in southwest about 45 minutes after sunset.  Jupiter is to Saturn’s upper left.  The bright moon is near the Pleiades.  Before sunrise, look for Mars low in the southeast.  Venus is becoming visible during bright twilight. This episode is als...

January 28, 2022:  Within a few minutes, Sirius rises at sunset this evening.  About two hours after sundown, find it in the southeastern sky with the other bright stars of Winter. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/11/2022-january-28-sirius-rises-at-sunset/

January 11-14, 2022:  The moon moves from Aries into Taurus.  On January 12, the lunar orb is near the Pleiades.  It is near the Hyades on January 13.  The moon is between the Bull’s horns on the next evening. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/10/2022-january-11-14-gored-moon/

January 8, 2022: Venus passes between Earth and the sun – inferior conjunction – today.  Mars continues its slow climb into the morning sky.  Three bright planets – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury – are in the southwest after sunset. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/09/2022-january-8-venus-at-inferior-conjunction/

January 7, 2022:  Mars is visible before sunrise, while Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter – along with the crescent moon – are in the evening sky.  Venus is nearing inferior conjunction and an appearance in the morning sky. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/08/2022-january-7-four-bright-planets-venus-nears-inferior-conjunction/

January 6, 2022:  Planet Mercury nears its evening greatest elongation.  It appears in the evening sky, with a crescent moon, Jupiter, and Saturn.  Venus sets soon after sundown.  Mars is in the southeast before sunup. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/12/07/2022-january-6-mercury-nears-greatest-elongation/