July 30, 2025: Venus moves closer to Jupiter each morning in the eastern sky before sunrise. Look for the bright planets, Orion and Gemini before sunrise. The crescent moon as Mars are in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:43 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:11 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
In two weeks, Venus overtakes Jupiter in the eastern sky before sunrise. This morning, the two bright planets are still over 12° apart and the gap decreases about 1° each morning. To see this pair, step outside and look eastward an hour before sunrise.
Brilliant Venus, the brightest starlike body in the sky, is about 20° above the east-northeast horizon. It is stepping across Orion’s club, 14.4° to Betelgeuse’s upper left. Through a telescope, Venus displays a morning gibbous phase, 74% illuminated.
Jupiter with Gemini
Jupiter is over 10° above the east-northeast horizon and over 13° to the upper right of Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. Use a binocular to see the stellar duo, as Pollux is at its first morning appearance across the mid-northern latitudes.
Venus moves eastward faster against the distant starfield than Jupiter. From morning to morning, it is easy to see Venus’ change against this rich starfield. On August 2nd, the Morning Star closes to within 10° of Jupiter, approximately the distance across your fist, from pinky knuckle to thumb knuckle, at arm’s length, through the August 12th conjunction and until August 22nd.
Orion
In addition to Gemini, Orion rises in the east. Saiph, at one of the corners of Orion’s distinctive rectangle, is yet to appear. Use a binocular to see Orion’s belt, standing nearly vertical between Betelgeuse and Rigel.
Taurus, with topaz Aldebaran, is higher in the sky, above Orion, while Capella is high in the east-northeast.
Saturn in South
Saturn is the third bright planet visible this morning. Find it about halfway up in the south. The Ringed Wonder retrogrades in front of Pisces, above the stars Deneb Kaitos, Cetus’ tail, and Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish. While considerably dimmer than Venus and Jupiter, Saturn is brighter than most stars in the sky.
Mercury at Inferior Conjunction Tomorrow
Mercury passes between Earth and Sun tomorrow, an astronomical alignment known as inferior conjunction. The planet moves from the east side of the sun to the west side, soon appearing in the eastern sky before sunrise.
When Mercury and Venus are west of the sun, they rise before daybreak and appear to the right (west) of the sunrise point, in the eastern sky.
Planet Alignment next Month
Later next month Mercury joins Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn in a display of six of the seven major planets, though when Mercury is visible during brighter twilight, Uranus and Neptune not visible.
Mars and Moon after Sunset
This leaves Mars and the moon in the evening sky. An hour after sundown, the thick crescent moon, 37% illuminated, is about 20° above the southwest horizon. It is 2.6° to the lower right of blue-white Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.
Mars is over 10° up in the western sky. Marching eastward in front of Virgo, it is 1.2° to the lower right of Zavijava, also known as Beta Virginis. Their close conjunction occurs in three evenings.
The Red Planet is fainter than might be expected. Use a binocular to spot it near Zavijava.
Mars sets two hours after sundown and not long after the end of evening twilight. Saturn rises about 15 minutes after Mars sets.
Upcoming Saturn-Mars Opposition
On August 8th, Mars sets as Saturn rises, a Saturn-Mars opposition. Like a planet at opposition with the sun, these two planets are in opposite directions from Earth. When this occurs in the evening sky, the event signals that the two planets begin to appear in the sky simultaneously, though the ecliptic makes a shallow angle with the eastern and western horizon at this season. When they are visible simultaneously at the end of August, both are very close to their respective horizons and a binocular is needed to see them.
Watch the morning sky with Venus approaching Jupiter, followed by the waxing moon and Mars after sundown. Saturn rises in the east earlier each night.
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