August 16, 2025: A rare celestial event unfolds before sunrise: Venus, the moon, and Pollux bunch tightly into a binocular field on the 20th, while a six-planet parade stretches across the eastern sky. Don’t miss these exceptional morning displays.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:00 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:49 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
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Rare Gathering on the 20th
A rare gathering and a six-planet parade are unfolding in the morning sky. In four mornings, Venus, Moon, and Pollux gather close enough that they fit into a binocular field of view. While the three bodies are generally in the same region of the sky about each calendar year, a bunching this close is rare. On May 26, 2039, they, again, fit into the same binocular field. In the interim, they are in the same region over a dozen times.
On June 15, 2037, Venus, Moon, and Pollux fit into a circle 8.2° in diameter, larger than a binocular field. Separations in other gatherings range from 12.1° to 21.2°.
On the 20th, find the rare gathering in the eastern sky an hour before sunrise.
Morning Moon
This morning the crescent moon is high in the east-southeast and nearly 60° to Pollux’s upper right. Watch the moon wane and overtake Venus, Jupiter, and Pollux.
The moon is 3.6° to the upper right of the Pleiades star cluster this morning. While the phase is 47% illuminated, it is bright enough to cast shadows of terrestrial features.
Venus, Jupiter, Pollux
Lower in the eastern sky, brilliant Venus is nearly 20° above the east-northeast horizon. Bright Jupiter is 4.1° above the Morning Star. After their conjunction four mornings ago, Venus widens their separation each morning.
Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins, is 8.7° to Venus’ left. The star is 7.0° north of the ecliptic, so the Venus-Pollux conjunction that occurs with the rare gathering is 7.2°.
A Six-Planet Parade Unfolds
A six-planet display is unfolding before sunrise as well, though they are not visible simultaneously. The participants in the display from the eastern horizon are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn.
Faint Uranus and even dimmer Neptune are greatly affected by extraneous light from the moon, twilight, and outdoor lighting. Moonlight is too bright for Neptune and will be for a few more mornings.
The thick crescent moon is near Uranus this morning. The planet, the crescent, and the Pleiades fit into the same binocular field. Through the binocular, place the lunar orb and the star cluster near the top of the field of view. Notice the two stars blue-white 13 Tauri (13 Tau on the chart) and yellow-white 14 Tauri (14 Tau) to the lower right edge of the field. Star 13 Tau is about the same brightness as aquamarine Uranus, 3.1° to the lower left, near the lower left edge of the field. Attempt to see this, although the moon’s brightness can produce an after image in your vision, like that from a camera’s flash.
A better view of the planet occurs tomorrow morning with the moon farther eastward.
Saturn
Saturn is in the southwest, less than halfway from the horizon to overhead. It retrogrades in front of Pisces. Neptune is in the same binocular field with Saturn. The sky is too bright to see it at this hour.
Mercury rises nearly 90 minutes before the sun. Thirty minutes later it is less than 5° above the east-northeast horizon. It brightens each morning.
Watch the rare gathering form as well as the six-planet parade that is visible for several mornings.
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