Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

This is Ephemeris for Inauguration Day, Wednesday, January 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 5:35, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:12. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 1:38 tomorrow morning.

Let’s have a lookout for the naked-eye planets for this week. Mercury has joined Jupiter and Saturn extremely low in the southwestern sky. I’m afraid Saturn will be lost in the twilight, but Jupiter, with Mercury above it might be visible. Both are extremely low in the southwestern sky around 6 pm or a bit earlier. Jupiter will set at 6:04 pm and Mercury will set at 7:06 pm. Mercury might be the only one that can be spotted. Quite high in the south at 7 pm Mars can be found. It will actually be due south at 6:56 pm tonight, and above the Moon. Mars is increasing its speed eastward against the constellations and will set at 2 am. Venus will be hard to spot in the morning twilight after it rises at 7:22 tomorrow morning.

The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Mercury in the evening twilight at 6 pm January 20, 2021. Though Jupiter is just above the horizon it should not be visible. Created using Stellarium.

Mars and the first quarter Moon at 7 pm tonight, January 20, 2021. Created using Stellarium.

Binocular or low power telescope view of the first quarter Moon. Created using Stellarium.

Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on January 20, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 21st. I’m afraid that the labels for Jupiter, Saturn and now the Sun overlap, since the planets and Sun are very close. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.