March 27, 2025: Morning Star Venus emerges from bright morning twilight in the eastern sky before sunrise. Jupiter and Mars are evening planets.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:41 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:11 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
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Venus Summary Article
VENUS AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
Venus Emerges from Bright Morning Twilight
Venus emerges from bright sunlight in the eastern sky during morning twilight. At 30 minutes before daybreak, the Morning Star is over 5° above the horizon. Use a binocular to initially locate it. Can you see it without the binocular’s optical assist?
A view through a spotting scope or a telescope reveals Venus’ thin morning crescent, which is only 2% illuminated. If held steadily, the phase is visible through a binocular.
At this hour, the crescent moon, 6% illuminated, is only 3° above the east-southeast horizon and over 20° to Venus’ right, a more challenging view.
Mercury, Saturn are not Visible
Mercury and Saturn rise before the sun, but morning twilight makes the sky too bright to see these worlds.
Evening Planet Jupiter
After sundown, Jupiter and Mars are easier to see. The Jovian Giant is over halfway up in the west-southwest. It is brighter than all the stars in the sky tonight.
Jupiter rambles eastward in front of Taurus, 7.3° to Aldebaran’s upper right, the constellation’s brightest star. It is heading toward, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, the Bull’s horns, less than 10° above the planet. Note Jupiter’s location against the starfield each clear evening.
Early next month, when the moon brightens the evening sky, moonlight washes across the sky to dim the fainter celestial wonders. Use a binocular to investigate the “V” of Taurus outlined by Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster. The Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, a star cluster resembling a tiny dipper, is to the Hyades’ lower right and a pretty view through a binocular.
Planet Uranus is below the Pleiades. It resembles an aquamarine star through a binocular. During about the next week, this is the final time to see planet Uranus until it passes behind the sun and rises before the beginning of morning twilight during the summer.
Mars and Gemini Twins
Mars – considerably dimmer than Jupiter, but brighter than most of the stars tonight – is high in the southern sky. It marches eastward in front of Gemini, passing Pollux in four nights. Tonight, it is 7.5° below Castor and 4.1° to Pollux’ lower right.
During the night, Jupiter appears lower in the western sky, setting in the west-northwest around midnight. Mars follows Jupiter to the horizon about three hours later and three hours before sunrise.
Each morning, look for Venus as it appears higher in the sky, emerging from bright sunlight. After sundown, Jupiter and Mars are easily seen.
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