2025: The morning sky has pretty celestial events during the year, including a Venus appearance, planetary conjunctions, and the moon’s monthly eastward trek.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Events are described here relative to sunrise. Find sunrise times for the year in local media.
The Morning Sky
The morning sky revs up when Venus reappears as the Morning Star during early spring. It appears with Jupiter, the moon, and bright stars.
The accompanying chart shows the eastern morning sky. The graph shows the rising times of the planets, bright stars near the ecliptic, and the moon compared to sunrise. Simply, the graph is the difference between the time the object rises and sunrise. Conjunctions and other events are highlighted.
The setting times, compared to sunrise, of Jupiter and Mars are shown as well. Early in the year, Mars sets in the west near the time of sunrise.
When two rising time interval lines cross, conjunctions occur near the intersection dates. The intersections show when the objects rise simultaneously. Celestial bodies can be far apart, yet rise at the same time.
For example, the moon rising circle is with Venus rising line on July 22. They rise at the same time, but the moon is over 11° east of Venus. The previous morning, a note indicates a pretty view of the pair, although the moon rises about an hour before Venus.
Celestial Events Sampler
Here are some events to see:
- February 21: The thick crescent moon, 42% illuminated, is about 20° up in the south and 2.1° to Antares’ lower left, the brightest star in Scorpius. Finally, the Scorpion is fully visible after beginning to climb across the horizon over two months ago.
Venus-Uranus Conjunction
- April 25: At 45 minutes before sunrise, brilliant Venus, Saturn and the moon gather in the eastern sky. Venus, about 10° above the horizon, is 4.0° to Saturn’s upper left and 5.3° to the upper right of the waning crescent moon. They fit into a circle 5.8° in diameter, a pretty view through a binocular. Find an observing spot with a clear horizon looking eastward.
- July 4: Through a binocular, Venus passes 2.4° from planet Uranus. The two planets are visible with the Pleiades star cluster if Venus is moved to the lower right edge of the field of view. Look at least an hour before sunrise, the earlier the better, before morning twilight washes out the dimmer planet. Venus enters the same binocular field of view with Uranus on June 28th and appears with it until July 10th.
Venus-Jupiter Conjunction
- July 13: Venus passes 3.2° to Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus brightest star. Together, the Hyades star cluster and Aldebaran, make a sideways letter “V,” outlining the Bull’s head. The planet and the pattern are a pretty view through a binocular.
Close Gathering
- August 12: A Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in the east-northeast during morning twilight near the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. The planets are 0.9° apart.
- September 19: Venus, the crescent moon, and Regulus fit tightly together in a circle that is 1.3° apart. This morning Venus passes 0.5° from Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. This is a photogenic morning. Get your cameras ready.
- October 19: At 45 minutes before sunrise, Venus is about 10° above the eastern horizon and 4.0° to the left of the crescent moon, 4% illuminated.
- November 17: With brilliant Venus heading into brighter twilight, the crescent moon appears 2.2° below Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.
Mercury, Moon
- December 17: Making its best morning appearance of the year, Mercury is low in the southeastern sky near Scorpius’ head and 11.0° to the left of a thin crescent moon that is only 6% illuminated.
Watch the bright celestial events in the morning as Venus reappears as the Morning Star during the spring months and appearing in the eastern predawn sky throughout the year.
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