August 8, 2025: Tonight’s Full moon is named Sturgeon. Saturn rises as Mars sets – Saturn-Mars opposition. Venus continues to approach Jupiter as their spectacular conjunction nears.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:52 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:00 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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Changing Sunset Time
Beginning tomorrow, the sun sets in Chicago before 8 p.m. Central Time. Sunset does not occur after 8 p.m. again until May 12th.
Sturgeon Moon
The Full moon occurs at 2:55 a.m. Central Time tomorrow. This is the night of the Sturgeon Moon, the second bright moon of the season. The lunar orb is in front of Capricornus. In this moonlight, use a binocular to see the Algedi – the kid – 15° to the moon’s upper right and Deneb Algedi – the kid’s tail, 10° to the left.
The Sturgeon Moon is in the sky all night. Tomorrow morning it is in the southwest.
Mars Slides into Evening Twilight
The planets in the evening sky are in transition. Mars slides into evening twilight. An hour after nightfall, the Red Planet is less than 10° above the western horizon and 3.8° to the upper left of Zavijava, also known as Beta Virginis. Use a binocular to see Mars with the stars.
Mars marches eastward in front of Virgo, 23° to the lower right of Spica, the constellation’s brightest star, nearly 15° above the west-southwest horizon.
Saturn-Mars Opposition
Tonight, Mars and Saturn are in opposite directions in the sky, a Saturn-Mars opposition. As Mars sets, Saturn rises. Another way to think about this is that when viewed from above the solar system, a convenient concept but not possible, Saturn, Earth, and Mars are along the same imaginary line.
When a planet-to-planet opposition occurs after sunset, the two planets are soon visible simultaneously. This opposition is challenging to see because Mars is dim and its placement in the sky is very unfavorable. The ecliptic is poorly inclined with the western horizon. Near month’s end Saturn stands above the eastern horizon after sunset, and Mars is low in the west, visible through a binocular. Tonight, Saturn rises 110 minutes after sunset.
Venus Overtakes Jupiter before Sunrise
These interesting events occur as Venus overtakes Jupiter before sunrise. An hour before daybreak, brilliant Venus is about 20° up in the eastern sky. Simply, it is the bright star in the east during morning twilight. Bright Jupiter is 3.7° to the Morning Star’s lower left. Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins, are over 12° to Jupiter’s lower left. In four mornings, Venus passes 0.9° – about two full moon diameters – to Jupiter’s lower right.
Saturn before Sunrise
By the time of morning twilight, Saturn seems to have moved to the south-southwest. Considerably dimmer than Venus and Jupiter, the Ringed Wonder is about halfway from the horizon to overhead. It retrogrades, seems to move westward against the distant starfield, in front of Pisces dim stars. Saturn is above Deneb Kaitos and Fomalhaut.
Tonight’s sky events are notable. Venus continues to approach Jupiter before their conjunction in four mornings. The Sturgeon Moon is in the sky all night with Capricornus’ stars. Saturn and Mars are in opposite directions. Soon they are in the sky at the same time.
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