2025, June 13: Gibbous Moon and Bright Planets

June 13, 2025: During the nighttime hours, find the gibbous moon and the bright planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn.

2023, July 10: Mars-Regulus conjunction with Venus nearby.
Photo Caption – 2023, July 10: Mars-Regulus conjunction with Venus nearby.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:27 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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During the night, the bright waning gibbous moon is visible.  See Venus and Saturn before sunrise, and Mercury and Mars after sundown.

Morning Gibbous Moon, Teapot

Moon during morning twilight, June 13, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, June 13: During morning twilight, the gibbous moon is in the southern sky with the Teapot of Sagittarius.

An hour before sunrise, the bright moon, 96% illuminated, is in front of the Teapot of Sagittarius, less than 20° above the south-southeast horizon. Use a binocular to trace the pot’s shape.  Notice the star Tau Sagittarii (τ Sgr on the chart) is 0.8° to the right of the lunar orb. Use a binocular to see the star near the bright moon.  For sky watchers in northern South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, the moon occults or eclipses the star.

Venus, Saturn, Pleiades Emerge

Venus, Saturn, June 13, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, June 13: An hour before sunrise, Venus and Saturn are in the eastern sky. The Pleiades star cluster emerges from bright morning twilight, though a binocular is needed.

Farther eastward, brilliant Venus is nearly 15° above the east horizon.  Stepping eastward in front of Aries, it is 12.6° to Hamal’s lower right, the Ram’s brightest star.  Venus passes Hamal in a wide conjunction tomorrow morning.

Through a telescope, Venus displays a morning gibbous phase, which is 56% illuminated.

Saturn is 36° to Venus’ upper right.  It treks slowly eastward in front of Pisces dim stars.  Saturn appears near Neptune, but the solar system’s most distant planet is too dim to see through this twilight.

Venus in Taurus, June 28, 2020
2020, June 28: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast among the stars of Taurus during morning twilight. The Pleiades appear above the planet.

Farther northward along the horizon, the Pleiades star cluster is about to make its first morning appearance or heliacal rising.  Through a binocular look for the stellar bundle over 5° above the east-northeast horizon. The heliacal rising occurs on the first morning the cluster is visible without an optical assist.  

Mercury after Sunset

Mercury, June, 13, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, June 13: At 45 minutes after sundown, bright Mercury is low in the west-northwest. Use a binocular to see it through bright evening twilight.

After sunset, Mercury is emerging from bright evening twilight after is superior conjunction with the sun.  The planet is the brightest “star” in the sky tonight, but it is hiding in evening’s light.  At 45 minutes after sundown, use a binocular to see the planet over 5° above the west-northwest horizon.  A clear, unobstructed horizon is needed to see it.

Mars Nears Regulus

Mars nears Regulus, June 13, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, June 13: One hour after sunset, Mars and Regulus are in the western sky.

Fifteen minutes later, look for Mars 30° above the west horizon.  It approaches Regulus, 2.1° to the upper left.  A conjunction occurs on the 17th when the gap between them is 0.8°, about twice the moon’s apparent diameter.

Regulus is Leo’s brightest star.  It is at the bottom of a half dozen stars that outline the Lion’s head, known as the Sickle of Leo.

Mars approaches, passes and moves away from Regulus, June 11-23, 2025
Chart Caption – Mars approaches, passes and moves away from Regulus, June 11-23, 2025

While Mars and Leo are easily visible, a binocular helps show Mars’ night-to-night eastward march. The Red Planet is lower in the sky during the evening setting over four hours after sundown.

Around midnight, the gibbous moon, 92% illuminated, is low in the southeastern sky. The lunar orb is in the southern sky during morning twilight, over 60° to the right (west) of Saturn.

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