April 25, 2023: The moon passes Mars this evening. They pair appears in front of Gemini. Brilliant Venus is lower in the sky than the Mars-Moon pairing. Saturn is visible before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:56 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:43 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location. Times are calculated by the U.S. Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Saturn appears higher in the sky above the east-southeast horizon each morning. At forty-five minutes before daybreak, the Ringed Wonder is nearly 15° up.
Jupiter is following Saturn into the morning sky, but it rises during bright twilight, only 18 minutes before sunup. It first appears next month in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Evening Sky
Mercury continues to exit the evening sky and overtake our planet. The innermost planet sets 50 minutes after sundown. It is very difficult to see because it has dimmed considerably, appearing above the horizon during brighter evening twilight.
At forty-five minutes after nightfall, find the moon, 33% illuminated, over halfway up in the west, below Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins.
Mars, marching eastward in front of Gemini, is 3.1° to the lower left of the lunar orb. It is moving generally toward Pollux, passing in a wide conjunction on May 8th.
Mars is dimmer than Pollux, but brighter than Castor. The Red Planet is somewhat hiding in the moon’s glare. Even at this moon phase, the moonshine can illuminate the ground and cast shadows. Block the moon’s glare with your hand as you would to shield your eyes from the sun.
Brilliant Venus is easy to locate about 30° up in the western sky and less than that distance to the lower right of the moon. The Evening Star is stepping eastward against Taurus’ stars. This evening, the planet is 6.6° below Elnath, the Bull’s northern horn. It cuts the distance to Mars in the sky each evening.
Tomorrow evening, the moon is near Pollux.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, November 12: Venus Near Spica, Mars Approaches Jupiter, and the Evening Crescent Moon
November 12, 2026: Find Venus near Spica and Mercury low before sunrise. Watch Mars approach Jupiter, see the evening crescent moon with earthshine, and observe Saturn after sunset. - 2026, November 11-15: The Evening Crescent Moon and Earthshine
November 11-15, 2026: Watch the crescent moon move through Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, and Capricornus. Find the Teapot, observe earthshine, and follow the Moon toward First Quarter. - 2026, November 10: Sky Almanac – Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
November 10, 2026: See Venus, Jupiter, and Mars before sunrise, Saturn after sunset, and locate Uranus and Neptune with a binocular. - 2026, November 9: New Moon and Four Bright Planets
November 9, 2026: The New moon begins lunation 1285. Find Venus near Spica, watch Mars approach Jupiter, and view Saturn in the evening sky. - 2026, November 6-29: Watch Venus Loop Past Spica Before Sunrise
November 6-29, 2026: Watch Venus rise earlier each morning as it appears to move from south of Spica to north of the star. Follow their changing separation through November.