April 29, 2025: Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are visible nightly. Find the Morning Star before sunrise and bright Jupiter after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:49 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:47 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Related Articles
Venus Summary Article
VENUS AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
Four Bright Planets
Four bright planets – Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars – are visible nightly.
Before Sunrise
Look for brilliant Venus and Saturn in the eastern sky before sunrise. At 45 minutes before daybreak, the Morning Star is about 10° up in the east. It shines through morning twilight, near its midpoint.
Saturn is 3.7° to Venus’ lower right. The Ringed Wonder continues to emerge from morning twilight, rising two to three minutes earlier each morning. The planet is dimmer than average. Its rings are viewed nearly from the edge.
Depending on the sky’s clarity, Saturn might be visible without a binocular’s optical assist. Saturn and Venus easily fit into the same field of view. Can you see it without the binocular?
Mercury retreats into bright morning twilight, rising about 45 minutes before the sun. It passes behind the sun on May 29th, known as superior conjunction, and moves into the evening sky.
After Sunset
The crescent moon is nearly 20° up in the western sky after sundown. The phase is 7% illuminated and for the next few evenings look for earthshine, reflected sunlight that softly lights the lunar night. Photograph it with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady hand-held phone camera with exposures up to a few seconds.
The crescent is nearly 10° to the upper right of the Pleiades, although they are too far apart to fit into the same binocular field. The lunar orb is 10.0° to Aldebaran’s upper right, Taurus’ brightest star, and over 11° to Jupiter’s lower right.
Mars is higher in the southwestern sky, marching eastward in front of Cancer. It is over 10° to Pollux’s upper left, one of the Gemini Twins.
The Red Planet continues to approach the Beehive star cluster, visible through a binocular in suburban areas. The planet is 2.6° to the right (west) of the cluster. Each clear evening, watch Mars approach and pass the stellar bundle. The best views occur before about May 2nd, when the moon brightens and creates a veil which obscures dimmer celestial wonders.
Look for Venus and Saturn before sunrise, while Jupiter, crescent moon, and Mars are easy to see after nightfall.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, June 12: Venus Pulls Away from Jupiter as Mercury Approaches Greatest Elongation
June 12, 2026: Venus widens its gap from Jupiter after conjunction while Mercury approaches greatest elongation. Before sunrise, the crescent moon appears above Mars with Saturn nearby. - 2026, June 11: Morning Moon Between Saturn and Mars While Venus and Jupiter Shine After Sunset
June 11, 2026: A waning crescent moon showing earthshine appears between Saturn and Mars before sunrise, while Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury line up in the western sky after sunset. - 2026, June 10: Venus and Jupiter Remain Close After Conjunction with Mercury Below
June 10, 2026: After their conjunction, Venus and Jupiter remain near each other in the west-northwest after sunset while fading Mercury appears lower in evening twilight. - 2026, June 9-13: Waning Crescent Moon Passes Saturn and Mars Before Sunrise
June 9-13, 2026: See the waning crescent moon with Saturn and Mars before sunrise during mid-June. Learn where to look for earthshine, Saturn’s rings, Mars, and the Pleiades in the eastern sky. - 2026, June 9: Venus-Jupiter Conjunction Occurs in the West-Northwest with Mercury Nearby
June 9, 2026: See Venus and Jupiter in a close evening conjunction after sunset with Mercury lower in the west-northwest sky. Includes observing tips and future conjunction dates.