April 14, 2025: During the nighttime hours, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are visible along with the bright gibbous moon.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:12 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:31 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
Nightly Sky Watch
This sky watch includes when and where to look for the gibbous moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.
This morning the bright gibbous moon shines from the southwestern sky. An hour before daybreak, the lunar orb, 98% illuminated, is about 10° above the horizon. Its light spreads across the sky, obliterating the view of the dimmer celestial wonders.
While the moon is past the Full phase, it can still be considered the Pink Moon. Its light illuminates terrestrial features and casts shadows.
The Scorpion’s classic claws, now part of Libra, are to the moon’s upper left. They are about the brightness of the Big Dipper’s stars. Use a binocular to see Zubenelgenubi, the southern pincer, 7.4° to the moon’s upper left.
Morning Venus
Thirty minutes later, brilliant Venus is over 10° up in the east. It is easily visible through this level of twilight. Find a clear view toward the planet’s direction.
Mercury and Saturn emerge from bright morning twilight, rising nearly an hour before the sun. They are not bright enough to shine through morning’s light.
Jupiter after Sunset
After sundown, two bright planets are easy to locate. An hour after nightfall, Jupiter – brighter than all the stars in the sky after sundown – is less than halfway up in the western sky. It rambles eastward in front of Taurus, 9.7° to Aldebaran’s upper right, the Bull’s brightest star, and 7.3° to Elnath’s lower left, one of the horns.
Mars
Mars, considerably dimmer than it was a month ago, is high in the southwest, over 40° to Jupiter’s upper left. Now in front of Cancer, the Red Planet marches eastward and away from Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. It is 6.7° to Pollux’s lower left.
Moon Late Night
The lunar orb, 96% illuminated, rises two hours after sundown. Two hours later and around midnight, it is 15° above the southeast horizon. Since this morning, it moved eastward and at this hour it appears 6.6° below Zubenelgenubi.
Look for the moon and bright planets during nighttime hours.
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