June 24, 2025: Jupiter is at solar conjunction today. Tonight, look for Venus, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars – four bright planets. Attempt to see the crescent moon before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:17 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:30 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
Jupiter at Conjunction
Jupiter is at solar conjunction, along an imaginary line with Sun and Earth. It is not visible from the sun’s brilliance.
The Jovian Giant begins a slow climb into the eastern morning sky. It becomes easy to see in about a month, though it is visible earlier in July during bright twilight. Venus overtakes it for a pretty conjunction on August 12th.
Venus before Sunrise
Before daybreak, brilliant Venus is in the eastern sky. It steps eastward in front of Aries, near the Taurus border, over 16° to Hamal’s lower left, the Ram’s brightest star.
Venus heads toward the Pleiades star cluster, less than 15° to the planet’s left. The Morning Star passes the stellar bundle in a wide conjunction on July 5th.
Through a telescope, Venus shows a morning gibbous phase, 61% illuminated.
It should be noted that Uranus is in the same binocular field with the Pleiades, but morning twilight is too bright to see the planet, even with the binocular’s optical assist.
Morning Saturn in Southeast
At this hour, Saturn is less than halfway up in the southeast, nearly 50° to Venus’ upper right. The Ringed Wonder is in front of Pisces.
Saturn is dimmer than average because its rings are tilted away from Earth, reflecting sunlight away from our view.
Neptune is near Saturn, though like Uranus, the sky is too bright for it to be seen.
Catch Thin Crescent Moon
Fifteen to twenty minutes later, attempt to see the thin crescent moon, 2% illuminated, about 5° above the east-northeast horizon, over 30° to Venus’ lower left.
The New moon phase occurs tomorrow at 5:32 a.m. Central Time, beginning lunation 1268.
When Mercury enters the morning sky during mid-August, six of seven planets line up in the eastern sky, though when the inner-most planet appears, Uranus and Neptune are hidden by morning twilight. Mars is the lone bright planet in the evening sky.
After Sunset, Mercury in West-Northwest
This evening, locate Mercury in the west-northwest about 45 minutes after sundown. It is nearly 10° above the horizon. At this level of twilight, use a binocular.
Mars and Leo
Fifteen minutes later, Mars is about 25° up in the west, 4.2° to Regulus’ upper left, Leo’s brightest star.
Binocular View: Mars Approaches Rho Leonis
Through a binocular, Mars is near Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the chart). Like Regulus, Rho is near the ecliptic, though it is considerably dimmer. Watch the planet pass Rho and continue its eastward march.
Tonight, Mars sets over three hours after sunset, leaving the sky without a bright planet for about an hour until Saturn rises.
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