February 2, 2025: The moon, four bright planets, and two dim ones parade west during the night. This is the last time to look for Neptune until mid-year.
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:02 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:08 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
The moon and planets’ locations are described relative to sunset. Find that time in local sources.
Evening Planet Parade
The crescent moon, four bright planets – Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars – and two dim ones – Neptune and Uranus, are visible after sunset. Watch them parade westward during the night. This is the last night to see Neptune until later this year.
After sunset, brilliant Venus gleams from the southwestern sky. The Evening Star nears its greatest brightness in less than two weeks. The planet is easy to find not long after sundown and keen-eyed sky watchers can find it during the day. The planet is bright enough to shine through the blue sky.
At an hour after nightfall, Venus stands about 30° above the west-southwest horizon. That angle is one-third of the way from the horizon to overhead – straight up – known as the zenith.
At a distance of 47 million miles, Venus is overtaking Earth. It passes between our planet and the sun, known as inferior conjunction, on March 22nd.
Through a telescope, the planet is illuminated 37%, an evening crescent phase.
Last Call for Neptune
Neptune is in the same binocular field with Venus and its best view occurs at the end of evening twilight, about 90 minutes after sundown. Appearing as a dim bluish star, Neptune is near the stars 20 Piscium (20 Psc on the chart) and 24 Piscium (24 Psc). After tonight the moon’s light washes across the sky, creating a veil of light that is brighter than Neptune. This continues through mid-month.
By the time the bright moon rises later in the evening, Neptune is too low for easy inspection as it slips into brighter twilight. Later in the year after their solar conjunctions, Saturn serves as a guide to locating the dim planet.
Saturn Slowly Slides into Evening Twilight
Tonight, Venus is 12.1° above Saturn. After their conjunction on January 18th, the gap between them widened.
Still setting nearly three hours after nightfall, the Ringed Wonder is sliding toward brighter twilight and its solar conjunction on March 12. As it heads into the sun’s glare, Mercury emerges from bright sunlight and its superior conjunction.
For a few days around February 24th, the five bright planets are in the night sky at the same time, but Saturn might be found in a binocular near brighter Mercury at 30 minutes after sunset. Venus is certainly visible at this time, but it may take a careful look to see Jupiter and Mars. This is not an easy view.
Tonight, the crescent moon, 24% illuminated, is 14.1° to Venus’ upper left. Last night, the lunar crescent and the Evening Star made a spectacular pair after sundown. Tonight, the moon appears farther eastward.
Jupiter and Taurus
Bright Jupiter is high in the southeastern sky. Its retrograde concludes in two nights and the planet slowly resumes a movement eastward.
The Jovian Giant is 5.1° to Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus brightest star.
With the Hyades star cluster with Aldebaran outline the Bull’s head. The sideways “V” shape fills a binocular field.
Find Uranus through a binocular
Planet Uranus is relatively easy to find, and from a dark location, it is visible without an optical assist. The planet is near the Pleiades star cluster which rides on Taurus’ back. Inspect the star cluster through a binocular before looking for the planet. The blue-white celestial gems make a miniature dipper. You can count a few dozen stars in this view.
After looking at the Pleiades star cluster, place the stellar bundle to the upper left edge of the field by moving the binocular slightly to the lower right. Find the stars 13 Tauri (13 Tau on the chart) and 14 Tauri (14 Tau). Move the binocular slightly to the lower right again so the 13 Tauri and 14 Tauri are off center to the lower left in the field. Then, the stars Tau Arietis (τ Ari), 63 Arietis (63 Ari), and 65 Arietis (65 Ari) become visible to the upper right. Aquamarine Uranus is then to the lower right edge of the field. It is about the same brightness as all the stars referenced here.
By placing Uranus at the center of the field, 13 Tauri and 14 Tauri are out of the field of view, though Tau Arietis and the other two stars are near the top of the field.
Mars with Twins
The fourth bright planet, Mars is nearly 30° up in the east. It retrogrades near the Gemini Twins, 4.4° to Pollux’s upper right and 5.9° to Castor’s lower right. During the next few weeks, watch it separate from the two stars until retrograde ends on the 23rd.
Planets Parade Westward during Night
During the night the planets parade westward. Saturn sets less than three hours after sundown, followed by Venus about an hour later. Jupiter is in the south about the time Saturn sets. The Jovian Giant sets after midnight, about four hours before sunrise. Mars is south before midnight and sets in the west-northwest about an hour before daybreak.
The planets are strung across the sky again tomorrow night. The moon – approaching the evening half or First Quarter phase – is less than halfway from Venus to Jupiter.
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