July 25, 2025: Prepare for a dazzling pre-dawn show! This guide details Venus and Jupiter’s stunning approach to their August 12, 2025 conjunction. Discover how to spot Orion, Saturn, Mercury’s planetary parade, and Mars in the evening sky this July and August.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:38 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:16 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 Overtakes Jupiter
Step outside an hour before sunrise. The Morning Star, Venus—brighter than any other star or planet in the night sky—is nearly 20° up in the east-northeast. It continues to step eastward in front of Taurus, nearly 15° to Aldebaran’s lower left, the Bull’s brightest star.
Look carefully for Zeta Tauri, the Bull’s southern horn, 1.8° to Venus’ lower left. Venus passes just 0.7° above this star tomorrow morning in a close conjunction.
Meanwhile, Jupiter shines 17.0° to Venus’ lower left and over 5° above the east-northeast horizon. Venus steadily approaches Jupiter and passes close to it on August 12th, when the two planets are just 0.9° apart—a striking conjunction of the third and fourth brightest celestial bodies in the sky.
The gap between them shrinks by about 1° each morning, roughly the span of two full moons across the sky.
Orion Returns
Orion and Gemini are returning to the morning sky. Betelgeuse, Orion’s shoulder is over 5° above the eastern horizon, though its rusty color mixes with the colorful reds and oranges of mid-twilight.
Rigel, Orion’s knee, is just above the east-southeast horizon, though the atmosphere greatly reduces its brightness. This means Orion’s Belt is also above the horizon, but the trio appears dimmed. While the belt becomes visible to the unaided eye in a few mornings, Rigel, Betelgeuse, and the belt stars are already visible through a binocular.
Orion’s return is an indication that Sirius is soon to reappear at the mid-northern latitudes. It was at its heliacal rising yesterday at 20° north latitude. In three mornings, it appears at latitude 25°. It first appears at 40° north latitude on August 10th, as Venus is near its conjunction with Jupiter.
Castor, one of the Twins, equals Betelgeuse’s altitude – the height above the horizon – though it is in the northeast.
Saturn in South
Saturn is part of this morning display. It is noticeably dimmer than Venus and Jupiter, though it is brighter than most stars in the sky this morning. It retrogrades against a dim Pisces’ starfield. The Ringed Wonder is about halfway up in the southern sky. It is to the upper right of the star Deneb Kaitos, Cetus’ tail, and to the upper left of Fomalhaut, the mouth of the southern Fish, ranking as the 13th brightest star for sky watchers at the mid-northern latitudes.
Morning Planet Parade
Mercury is quickly overtaking Earth, passing inferior conjunction between our world and the sun at month’s end. It moves into the morning sky to join a parade of six of the seven major planets next month. While not visible simultaneously, Mercury Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn are west of the sun and are lined up along the plane of the solar system, known as the ecliptic, from the sunrise point to the south-southwest.
Mars after Sunset
This leaves Mars as the lone major planet in the evening sky after sunset. An hour after nightfall, the Red Planet is over 10° above the western horizon. It faded in brightness, since it was closest to Earth during January. At mid-twilight, a binocular might be necessary to initially locate it.
While marching eastward in front of Leo, 11.6° to the Denebola’s lower left and over 30° to the lower right of Spica, it crosses the Virgo/Leo boundary in three nights.
It sets soon after the end of twilight. After its solar conjunction during early January 2026, it is not easily visible until late spring next year.
Saturn rises earlier each evening, tonight over 150 minutes after sundown, about 30 minutes after Mars sets. Earth overtakes and passes between the planet and the sun, geometrically known as opposition, on September 20th. On this night, it rises at sunset and it is in the sky all night.
Each morning before sunrise, watch as brilliant Venus draws closer to Jupiter in the eastern sky. Their slow, steady approach leads to a beautiful conjunction on August 12th, offering an excellent opportunity for morning sky watchers.
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