June 29, 2025: A Mars-Moon conjunction occurs in the western sky after sunset. Venus, Saturn and Mercury are visible during nighttime hours.
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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Mars-Moon Conjunction
A pretty Mars-Moon conjunction occurs in the western sky after sunset. An hour after nightfall, the crescent moon, 24% illuminated, is about 20° up in the west, 7.3° to the upper left of Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.
Look carefully for Mars 0.7° to the moon’s upper right. This is the Mars-Moon conjunction.
Regulus is the closest bright star to the ecliptic, the plane of the solar system. The moon and planets regularly appear with this star.
Leo is a westward facing Lion we see in silhouette. The Sickle of Leo, a half-dozen stars resembling a backwards question mark, outlines the animal’s head. Regulus marks the heart in celestial artwork. The back legs and tail, dotted by Denebola, are higher and to the Sickle’s upper left. The tail is farthest east.
Binocular View includes Rho Leonis
Through a binocular the star Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the chart) is 0.8° to the moon’s lower right.
Like Regulus, Rho is near the ecliptic, but shines at only 10% of Regulus’ brightness. To see the dimmer star, the binocular’s optical assist is needed from urban and suburban settings.
Earthshine
Look for earthshine, a soft light, on the moon’s night portion. The effect is sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. Photograph it with a tripod-mounted camera with exposures of a few seconds. A smartphone’s camera can capture earthshine if held steadily.
At this hour tonight, Mercury is nearly 35° to the moon’s lower right and over 5° above the west-northwest horizon. A binocular helps with its identification.
Venus before Sunrise
Today before sunrise, brilliant Venus shines from the eastern sky. An hour before daybreak, find it over 15° up in the east. It is the brightest starlike body in the sky.
The Morning Star steps eastward in front of Taurus, 9.0° to the Pleiades star cluster’s lower right. Venus passes the stellar bundle in a wide conjunction on July 5th.
With the binocular scan the horizon below the Pleiades for Aldebaran, the Bull’s brightest star. The reddish star is near its heliacal rising or first morning appearance (without optical aid).
Saturn in Southeast
This morning Saturn is less than halfway up in the southeast. The planet is dimmer than average because its rings reflect light away from Earth. Through a telescope, we see them nearly from the edge.
The star Deneb Kaitos, Cetus’ tail, is about halfway from the horizon to Saturn.
Look for the Mars-Moon conjunction after sunset as well as Mercury. Before sunrise, find brilliant Venus and Saturn.
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