THE VISIBLE PLANETS
Listed here for Boston are viewing suggestions for and the rise and set times (ET) of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn on specific days each month, as well as when it is best to view Mercury. Approximate rise and set times for other days can be found by interpolation. Use the Key Letters at the right of each listing to convert the times for other localities (see pages 116 and 238). FOR ALL PLANET RISE AND SET TIMES BY ZIP CODE, VISIT ALMANAC.COM/ASTRONOMY.
VENUS
Venus begins 2021 as an unremarkable morning star, neither high nor particularly bright but easily seen from the year's opening predawn hours until mid-February. It's then lost behind the Sun's glare through most of the spring, until it begins a long evening star apparition in May, low in the west after sunset. Venus brightens and slowly gets a bit higher up through the summer, but it doesn't become truly eye-catching until fall. It's at its best this year in December: During the final week of 2021, Venus has a brilliant, dazzling conjunction with Mercury in evening twilight.
Jan. 1 rise 5:45 E
Jan. 11 rise 6:03 E
Jan. 21 rise 6:16 E
Feb. 1 rise 6:23 E
Feb. 11 rise 6:23 E
Feb. 21 rise 6:19 D
Mar. 1 rise 6:13 D
Mar. 11 rise 6:03 D
Mar. 21 rise 6:51 C
Apr. 1 set 7:15 D
Apr. 11 set 7:40 D
Apr. 21 set 8:05 E
May 1 set 8:31 E
May 11 set 8:56 E
May 21 set 9:19 E
June 1 set 9:40 E
June 11 set 9:53 E
June 21 set 10:00 E
July 1 set 10:01 E
July 11 set 9:56 E
July 21 set 9:46 D
Aug. 1 set 9:33 D
Aug. 11 set 9:18 C
Aug. 21 set 9:02 C
Sept. 1 set 8:45 C
Sept. 11 set 8:30 B
Sept. 21 set 8:17 B
Oct. 1 set 8:06 A
Oct. 11 set 7:59 A
Oct. 21 set 7:55 A
Nov. 1 set 7:56 A
Nov. 11 set 6:59 A
Nov. 21 set 7:01 A
Dec. 1 set 6:58 A
Dec. 11 set 6:46 A
Dec. 21 set 6:18 A
Dec. 31 set 5:32 B
MARS
This is a mediocre year for Mars, which has no opposition in 2021. It starts out in early January at its biggest and brightest—a dazzling magnitude 0.0 in Pisces, dominating the southern sky. Fading rapidly as winter progresses, Mars speeds through Aries and then Taurus before fading to a still-respectable magnitude 1 by the start of spring. The Red Planet then fades further and sinks lower as it crosses into Gemini in April, Cancer in June, and Leo in July, after which it's lost in the Sun's glare. It might be glimpsed, low and dim at magnitude 2, as a predawn morning star in Scorpius during the final few weeks of the year.
Jan. 1 set 1:26 D
Jan. 11 set 1:11 D
Jan. 21 set 12:57 E
Feb. 1 set 12:44 E
Feb. 11 set 12:34 E
Feb. 21 set 12:24 E
Mar. 1 set 12:16 E
Mar. 11 set 12:07 E
Mar. 21 set 12:58 E
Apr. 1 set 12:47 E
Apr. 11 set 12:36 E
Apr. 21 set 12:24 E
May 1 set 12:11 E
May 11 set 11:55 E
May 21 set 11:39 E
June 1 set 11:19 E
June 11 set 11:00 E
June 21 set 10:40 E
July 1 set 10:18 E
July 11 set 9:55 E
July 21 set 9:32 D
Aug. 1 set 9:05 D
Aug. 11 set 8:41 D
Aug. 21 set 8:16 D
Sept. 1 set 7:48 C
Sept. 11 set 7:22 C
Sept. 21 set 6:57 C
Oct. 1 set 6:32 C
Oct. 11 rise 6:47 D
Oct. 21 rise 6:42 D
Nov. 1 rise 6:37 D
Nov. 11 rise 5:33 D
Nov. 21 rise 5:29 D
Dec. 1 rise 5:25 E
Dec. 11 rise 5:21 E
Dec. 21 rise 5:18 E
Dec. 31 rise 5:14 E
BOLD = p.m. LIGHT = a.m.