August 27, 2025: Catch one of the final views of the six-planet parade before Mercury disappears into bright morning twilight. See Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn in the predawn sky, plus Mars and the crescent moon after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:12 a.m. 8DT; Sunset, 7:32 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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Six-Planet Parade Concluding
This is the last call for the predawn six-planet parade as Mercury recedes into brighter morning twilight. This leaves Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn in the sky before sunrise.
Here’s what to see: With a binocular, begin looking for Neptune near Saturn at two hours before sunrise. The Ringed Wonder is less than halfway up in the south-southwest. It slowly retrogrades in front of Pisces.
With Saturn at the center of the binocular’s field of view, bluish Neptune, appearing as a dim star, is above. Finding the planet is not easy because it is less than 10% of the brightness of 27 and 29 Piscium (Psc) to Saturn’s lower right. Neptune is near a non-descript reddish star that is still four times brighter than the modern solar system’s most-distant planet. Look carefully.
Uranus Near Pleiades Star Cluster
Uranus is easier to find near the Pleiades star cluster, resembling a miniature dipper that rides on Taurus’ back in celestial artwork. At two hours before sunrise, the Bull is above Orion, low in the east-southeast. Reddish Aldebaran is the constellation’s brightest star, nearly 15° to the star cluster’s lower left.
Through the binocular, place the Pleiades near the top of the field of view. Aquamarine Uranus is about the same brightness as 13, 14, 32, and 37 Tauri (Tau) to the lower right.
Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury in Eastern Sky
Even at this hour, brilliant Venus and Jupiter are in the eastern sky. As twilight begins, the sky brightens and soon Neptune and Uranus are washed out.
Mercury rises 80 minutes before sunrise and about 30 minutes later, the bright planet is over 5° above the east-northeast horizon, 16.5° to Venus’ lower left. Find a clear horizon looking toward Mercury’s location.
This morning, Venus is nearly midway from Jupiter to Mercury. To find Mercury, point at Jupiter and draw an imaginary line through Venus, continuing diagonally toward the east-northeast horizon. Mercury is about the same distance to the lower left as the gap between Venus and Jupiter.
Tomorrow is likely the last day to easily find Mercury before it disappears behind the air’s filtering effects. We are at the last call of this version of the planet parade.
Six-Planet Parade Dissolves into Five Planets
Afterwards, five planets continue to stretch across the morning sky until mid-October when Saturn and Neptune set before Venus rises.
Crescent Moon and Spica after Sunset
After sunset, the crescent moon, 21% illuminated, is less than 10° above the west-southwest horizon. It is 5.9° to the left of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. Look for and photograph earthshine on the moon’s night portion.
Mars continues to slide into evening twilight. It is about 7° up in the western sky and about 11° to Spica’s right. Find Mars through a binocular.
The planet parade begins each evening. Tonight, Saturn and Neptune rise about an hour after sundown, 25 minutes before Mars sets.
The window to see all six planets is quickly closing. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are easy to see. Find Uranus and Neptune through a binocular before twilight begins.
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