July 6, 2025: Tonight, the moon eclipses or occults a bright star in Scorpius.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:23 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:28 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 AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
Occultation Tonight
Tonight, the moon occults a star in the constellation Scorpius, temporarily blocking it from view as the moon moves across our line of sight.
The star, without a proper name, is known as Pi Scorpii (π Sco on the chart). It is to the right (west) of rosy Antares – the Scorpion’s brightest star – forming a vertical line with Graffias and Dschubba.
An hour after sunset, the moon, 86% illuminated, is over 20° above the southern horizon. Use the binocular to spot Pi, 0.8° to the lunar orb’s left.
Binocular View
Through the binocular, with Pi at the center, Dschubba is near the top, and Rho (ρ Sco on the chart).
During the night the moon revolves eastward and approaches the star. Additionally, the moon and stars seem to move westward from Earth’s rotation. Across a large swath of North America, the moon occults or eclipses the star.
As the moon moves eastward, its eastern dark edge or limb, covers the star. About an hour later, the star reappears at the western sunlit limb.
Disappearance Times
Here’s a list of disappearance times for selected cities:
| Location | Disappearance Time (Local Time Zone) |
| Washington, D.C. | 12:57 a.m. (July 7) |
| Atlanta | 12:47 a.m. (July 7) |
| Montreal | 12:58 a.m. (July 7) |
| Chicago | 11:40 p.m. |
| Austin | 11:13 p.m. |
| Denver | 9:56 p.m. |
| Winnipeg | 11:22 p.m. |
| Los Angeles | 8:17 p.m. (Occultation begins 10 minutes before sunset. Star reappears 9:45 p.m.) |
Mercury and Mars after Sunset
Mercury and Mars are in the western sky after sunset. Mercury retreats into bright evening twilight and fades as it overtakes Earth. The speedy planet passes between our world and the sun on the 31st and jumps into the eastern morning sky.
At 45 minutes after nightfall, Mercury is about 5° above the west-northwest horizon. It can be seen through a binocular.
Fifteen minutes later, when the sky is darker and stars are easier to see, the planet is 15° to the lower right of Regulus, nearly 15° up in the west.
Reddish Mars, marches eastward against Leo, over 11° to Regulus upper left. Tonight, Mercury sets 85 minutes after sundown, followed by Mars, less than three hours after nightfall.
Tonight, look for the moon eclipse the star Pi Scorpii.
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