February 27, 2025: Mercury leads the nightly planet parade westward, followed by Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:28 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:39 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
New Lunar Cycle Begins Tonight
The moon is at the New moon phase tonight at 6:45 p.m. Central Time beginning lunation 1264, the number of lunar cycles since the count began in 1923.
As Mercury emerges from brighter evening twilight, it leads the nightly planet parade westward. Saturn is now in bright evening twilight, which is brighter than the planet’s appearance. Neptune is overwhelmed by the sun’s bright light as well. Venus, Jupiter and Mars are visible with Mercury as darkness falls. Uranus is somewhat near Jupiter, but a binocular is needed to see it from suburban backyards.
Seven Planets are not Visible
Contrary to some reports, seven planets are not visible after sunset. Four bright ones are easily located, while a fifth can be seen through a binocular.
Mercury and Venus
Step outside with a binocular at 45 minutes after sunset. The time is important, because Mercury is only 5° above the western horizon at this time and the window to see it is short. Find a clear horizon looking westward and search along the horizon with the binocular to see Mercury as a bright star.
Tonight, Mercury sets 75 minutes after sunset. During the next two evenings it gains four minutes of setting time compared to sunset that slows to two minutes each evening until the speedy planet reaches greatest elongation on March 8th, setting 94 minutes after the sun at the mid-northern latitudes.
Evening Star, Venus
At 45 minutes after sundown, Venus is over 20° above the western horizon and over 15° above Mercury. The Evening Star sets earlier each evening as it overtakes our planet. Tonight, it sets over 90 minutes after Mercury, losing about five minutes of setting time each night. Next month, Venus seems to drop from the evening sky.
Tonight’s Venusian distance is 32 million miles. As the distance closes, the planet appears larger through a telescope and a shrinking evening crescent phase, 16% illuminated tonight. While Venus resembles a tiny waxing crescent moon, waxing and waning are not included in Venus’ phase names.
Jupiter and Taurus
Tonight, at this hour, bright Jupiter is high in the south-southwest, 5.5° above Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star. The Jovian Giant rambles eastward in front of the Bull as it moves toward the bovine’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri.
Mars and Gemini
Mars is the eastern planet in this parade, over halfway up in the east-southeast and over 35° to Jupiter’s lower left. After resuming direct motion four nights ago, the Red Planet slowly marches eastward in front of Gemini, 7.1° to Pollux’ upper right and 7.4° to Castor’s lower right.
Mars passes Castor in a wide conjunction on March 21st and Pollux ten nights later.
Each clear night look for the changing positions of Jupiter and Mars compared to the starry background.
During the night, as Earth rotates, the planets appear farther westward. Jupiter sets in the west-northwest about 90 minutes after local midnight. Mars sets in the west-northwest before the beginning of morning twilight.
For the next 10 nights, look for this evening planet parade until Mercury recedes into brighter evening twilight.
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