This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 8:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:52. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 5:04 tomorrow morning.
Let’s find out where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week, and see what planets are left. Bright Jupiter is very low and in the west. It will set at 10:23 pm. We are getting close to losing Jupiter in the evening sky. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is just below-left of it. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere might now get a chance to spot it, but I believe it’s too far gone for us. In the morning, Mars and Saturn will be very close together in the east southeastern sky at 6:30. They will be fighting the bright morning twilight and low altitude then. Saturn will be difficult to see right now in the twilight . It will look fairly different this year and next with its rings nearly edge on to us. They will look more like a line through the planet. The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The five naked eye planets and Comet Pons-Brooks are located near the Sun . This image you see the Sun if the Earth had no atmosphere, at solar noon which is about 1:41 PM. Saturn is the farthest planet from the Sun at about 42°. Anything to the right of the Sun is a morning planet, anything to the left is an evening planet. And since Jupiter is above the Sun it can be seen more easily in the evening than can Saturn in he morning, which is below the Sun. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Venus found in a photograph of the total solar eclipse of April 8th 2024 with a smartphone camera by one in our party. Credit Jeff Busch.
The planet Jupiter shown here much brighter than it will actually appear tonight at 9:30 PM, or about an hour after sunset. It’s altitude will be about 9° above the horizon. Observers south of us will see Jupiter a little bit higher in the sky at the same time period after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon is a might be seen in binoculars or a small telescope this evening, April 17th 2024. Select features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Saturn and Mars as they might be glimpsed early in the morning at 6:00 AM, about an hour before sunrise. Saturn is brighter than Mars, however Saturn is dimmer than it normally is mainly because it’s rings are closing and nearly edge on. When the rings are at their most open they contribute more to the brightness of Saturn than the planet does. Created using Stellarium.
None of the planets are good telescopic objects now, due to their low position in the sky, and twilight.
The naked-eye planets, Comet Pons-Brooks, and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right tonight, April 17th 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise tomorrow morning on the 18th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 