September 2, 2025: Five planets – Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn – are visible during the predawn hours.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:18 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:22 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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Venus Summary Article
Five Morning Planets
A line of five planets nearly spans the sky before sunrise. Brilliant Venus and Jupiter are in the eastern sky, while Saturn is southwest. Dim Uranus is near the Pleiades star cluster, while even fainter Neptune is with Saturn.
Begin to search for Neptune two hours before sunrise through a binocular. The planet’s visibility is affected by outdoor lighting, moonlight, and twilight. At this hour, Saturn is less than halfway up in the southwest.
Through the binocular, place Saturn at the field of view’s center. Neptune is not far away from the Ringed Wonder, but still a challenge to see, even with an optical assist.
Before looking for Neptune, look for stars brighter than the most-distant planet in the solar system model. Find 27 and 29 Piscium (Psc), a blue-white star and yellow-white neighbor below Saturn. Stars 27 and 29 are about 2% of Saturn’s brightness.
Next find a reddish star, without a familiar catalog name, that is dimmer yet, toward the top of the view. Appearing as a very faint bluish star, Neptune is four times dimmer than this reference star, and less 0.4° to the lower left and 1.8° above Saturn.
Finding Neptune may take multiple attempts to see it across a few mornings.
Uranus near Pleiades
Meanwhile, at this hour, Uranus is easier to see near the Pleiades star cluster, which rides on the back of Taurus, high in the southeastern sky. The reddish star Aldebaran is below the cluster that resembles a tiny dipper.
Appearing as an aquamarine star, the planet appears toward the bottom of the binocular field when the stellar bundle is near the top. Look for the stars 13, 14, 32, and 37 Tauri (Tau), about the same brightness as the planet.
Venus near Beehive star cluster
Venus, less than 20° above the eastern horizon, is near the Beehive star cluster, also known as the Praesepe. After locating the dimmer planets, look for the brilliant planet and the star cluster.
Venus, Jupiter in East
As the morning progresses, twilight begins, eventually washing out Neptune, Uranus, and, eventually, the Beehive, leaving Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn for easy viewing. At 45 minutes before daybreak, the Morning Star is over 20° up in the east. It steps eastward in front of Cancer, a dim constellation between Gemini’s Pollux and Leo’s Regulus.
Bright Jupiter is over 21° to Venus’ upper right and to the upper right of Castor. It steps eastward considerably slower than Venus, allowing Earth’s nearest planet to step away and open a large gap to the Jovian Giant.
Evening Gibbous Moon
After sunset, the bright gibbous moon, 76% illuminated, is about 20° up in the south. It is in front of Sagittarius. The brightest stars are known as the Teapot.
Use a binocular to see the shape near the moon. Tonight, the lunar orb is 2.3° to the lower right of Nunki, in the pot’s handle.
Two bright planets are missing from our view. Before sunrise, Mercury retreats into bright morning twilight, while Mars is in bright evening twilight.
The five-planet parade continues for several more weeks, until Saturn and Neptune set before Venus rises next month. Find Uranus and Neptune through a binocular.
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