September 16, 2025: September 16, 2025 — Before sunrise, the crescent moon appears between Jupiter and Pollux, fitting tightly into a binocular field. Venus shines near Regulus in the east while Saturn lingers in the west, as the rare Venus–Moon–Regulus gathering approaches.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:32 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:58 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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Daylight Shrinks, Soon Uranus, Neptune Return to Morning Display
In Chicago, the sun sets before 7 p.m. Central Time. This continues until March 17, 2026. Daylight lasts 12 hours and 26 minutes. The equinox is less than a week away.
As the moon wanes dimmer, Uranus and Neptune soon become visible before sunrise. A bright moon phase washes out the sky, blotting out the dimmer stars.
Three Bright Morning Planets, Moon
This morning, the moon passes Jupiter and the star Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. While the star is nearly 7° above the ecliptic plane, it is a milestone along the planetary paths.
Here’s what to see 45 minutes before sunrise:
- On its way for a rare gathering with Venus and Regulus in three mornings, the crescent moon, 28% illuminated, is nearly between Pollux and Jupiter. The bunching of the moon with these two celestial wonders is a rare event in itself. Jupiter is in this part of its solar orbit about every 12 years, and for nearly a year, the moon can pass closely to the pair. This morning’s view tightly fits Jupiter, Moon, and Pollux in the same binocular field.
- Venus approaches Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. The Morning Star is about 20° up in the east, 3.9° to the upper right of the star.
- Farther westward, Saturn is about 15° above the west-southwest horizon. The Venus-Saturn gap is nearly 150°.
After Sunset
- Mercury is emerging from bright sunlight after its recent superior conjunction, setting only 12 minutes after the sun. The planet has poor visibility for northern hemisphere sky watchers during this apparition. It reaches greatest elongation – when it is typically visible – in about a month, though it sets only 45 minutes after sunset during brighter twilight.
- Mars continues its slide toward solar conjunction early next year. Tonight, it sets 72 minutes after the sun sets.
- A sure celestial signal that autumn is approaching is the star Arcturus in the western sky after sunset. One hour after sunset, the topaz color star is about 30° above the west horizon. Each year during late summer and early autumn, it appears in this region of the sky. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern half of the sky, an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator.
- Farther eastward, Saturn is low in the eastern sky. It nears opposition, when Earth passes between the planet and the sun. The Ringed Wonder is opposite the sun in the sky. It is south at midnight and in the western sky before sunrise.
As the rare grouping of Venus, Moon, and Regulus approaches in three mornings, look for the moon near Jupiter and Pollux this morning.
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