July 12, 2025: Venus passes near Aldebaran before sunrise as the bright moon veils the sky. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are also visible. Mercury heads for a morning return.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:25 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:27 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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Venus Summary Article
VENUS AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
Morning Gibbous Moon
An hour before sunrise, the bright moon, 98% illuminated, is about 20° above the south-southwest horizon. It is 15.7° to the lower right of Deneb Algedi, Capricornus’ tail. The moon’s light spreads across the sky creating a veil that makes a challenging view of dimmer stars.
Saturn
This morning, the lunar orb is over 50° to the lower right of Saturn. The Ringed Wonder is halfway up in the south-southeast. Tomorrow morning, the planet begins the illusion of retrograde. This occurs when Earth begins to move between a superior planet – one farther away from the sun than Earth – and our central star. Saturn appears opposite the sun on September 20th, when it rises at nightfall.
Look for the star Deneb Kaitos, Cetus’ tail, about halfway from the horizon to Saturn.
Venus in East
Farther eastward, Venus, nearly 20° above the eastern horizon, shines brightly, 3.5° to Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus’ brightest star. The brilliant planet passes this star tomorrow morning.
Venus Passes Eplison Tauri
In this bright moonlight, use a binocular to see Venus with the V of Taurus, outlined by Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster. Venus passes 0.3° above Epsilon Tauri (ε Tau on the chart). Aldebaran and Epsilon mark the tips of the V.
Jupiter Entering Morning Sky
Jupiter is slowly entering the morning sky. Rising 57 minutes before the sun, it is less than 5° above the east-northeast horizon, 30 minutes later. While it can be seen through a binocular after a diligent search, wait a few more mornings to look for it.
Mercury
Similarly, Mercury is heading for a morning appearance, though it is still east of the sun, setting 63 minutes after the sun. Now quite dim, the speedy planet is overtaking Earth, passing between our world and the sun at month’s end. Then it jumps into the morning sky joining Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
During mid-August a display of six of the seven major planets occurs before sunrise. Dim Neptune is visible through a binocular before morning twilight begins. Uranus can be seen during the early phases of twilight with optical assistance. Venus and Jupiter are easily visible throughout morning’s light. By the time Mercury is visible through a binocular, Uranus and Neptune have faded into the bright predawn light. The line up is highlighted by a pretty Venus-Jupiter conjunction on August 12th.
Mars Rides into Western Twilight
This leaves Mars as the lone bright planet in the western sky after nightfall. The planet’s brightness fades as its slides into evening twilight. A binocular assists with its initial identification.
Tonight, at an hour after sundown, the Red Planet is over 15° above the horizon, 14.7° to the upper left of Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, which is less than 10° above the horizon. Mars is 13.4° to the lower right of Denebola, the Lion’s tail.
Regulus is the closest bright star to the ecliptic, the solar system’s plane. The planets and the moon pass by at regular intervals. It is at solar conjunction on August 22nd, then it makes its first morning appearance during early September. Venus passes by on September 19th. On that morning, Venus, Moon, and Regulus fit into a circle only 1.3° in diameter! Mark this event on your calendar.
Tonight, the gibbous moon, 94% illuminated, rises two hours after sundown and appears farther westward during the night.
Look for the bright planets and the moon tonight.
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