February 10, 2025: Four bright planets are visible after sunset. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are joined by the waxing gibbous moon to outline the plane of the solar system.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:52 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:18 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Four Planets after Sunset
The bright display of four planets continues after sunset. They seem to be strung along the plane of the solar system, known as the ecliptic – from the west-southwest to the east when the moon is included.
Brilliant Venus is the easiest planet to locate. Approaching its greatest brilliancy, the planet can be seen during the day over halfway up in the south with an exceptionally clear day and some persistence from the observer. It is easily visible in the west-southwest after nightfall.
Saturn Sinking in West
By an hour after sundown, the Evening Star is nearly 30° above the west-southwest horizon. The planet is appearing lower in the sky each night at the same time interval after sundown. Losing two minutes of setting time each evening, Venus sets tonight 219 minutes after sundown, 90 minutes after Saturn.
Becoming more difficult to see each evening, Saturn is over 15° below Venus and more than 10° above the horizon. It continues to disappear into brighter twilight. In a week, it is over 5° above the horizon at this time interval after sunset.
As Saturn slides into evening twilight, Mercury emerges from brighter sunlight, passing the Ringed Wonder on the 24th, though this conjunction occurs at 30 minutes after sundown in bright twilight. Seeing all five planets at this time without optical assistance is very challenging.
Jupiter and Taurus
Tonight, Jupiter is the bright star in the south-southeast, 5.1° to Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus’ brightest star. Jupiter slowly moves eastward against the Bull’s starry background. The planet is moving toward the horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, about 13° to the east or left of Jupiter.
Mars and Moon in East
The bright moon, 98% illuminated, is about 30° above the eastern horizon. It is in front of Cancer’s dim stars.
Mars, over 15° to the moon’s upper right, retrogrades in front of Gemini. It is 6.0° to Pollux’s upper right and 6.5° to Castor’s lower right. The planet continues to open a wider gap to the two stars until the 23rd.
The four bright planets and moon are along an imaginary line that marks the ecliptic. The four planets span nearly 120°. When the moon is included, they mark 136° of the ecliptic’s extent.
Look for the four planets after sunset.