September 27, 2025: During early morning twilight, Venus shines above the eastern horizon while Jupiter climbs high in the east-southeast and Saturn lingers low in the west. Watch the growing Venus-Saturn gap and follow the waxing crescent moon in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:44 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:39 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
Three Bright Morning Planet
Three bright planets span the sky from east to west during early morning twilight. At 75 minutes before daybreak, brilliant Venus stands nearly 10° above the eastern horizon. Look for it across a clear horizon.
Venus steps eastward in front of Leo, 9.5° to Regulus’ lower left, the Lion’s brightest star, and 3.1° from dimmer Rho Leonis (ρ Leo).
Venus-Saturn Span Widens
Venus’ quick eastward motion continues to widen the gap to slow-moving Saturn. At this hour, the Ringed Wonder is less than 10° above the western horizon, over 160° from the Morning Star. While Venus is easily visible near the horizon, Saturn is affected by the dimming and blurring effects of the air near the horizon. Venus is bright enough to shine through the thick air, though its brightness is diminished.
Venus passed Saturn on April 25th while stepping eastward. It then moved through the bright star fields of Taurus and Gemini before passing Jupiter on August 12th. The Venus–Regulus conjunction occurred on the 19th.
Venus-Saturn Opposition Approaches
On October 17th, Venus rises as Saturn sets, a planet-to-planet opposition. Like a planet or the moon in opposition to the sun, one body rises when the other sets. Afterward, Saturn sets before Venus rises.
Every few mornings, the window of visibility shifts to earlier times. Sky watchers need clear views toward both horizons. The final morning to see Venus and Saturn simultaneously is difficult to predict because of local obstructions at the horizons and weather. Attempt to view Venus and Saturn together through early next month.
As Saturn disappears into thicker air, Neptune follows. The most distant planet in the modern solar system model is in the same binocular field of view when Saturn is higher in the sky.
Jupiter in East-Southeast
Bright Jupiter, nearly 50° to Venus’ upper right, is more than halfway up in the east-southeast. The Jovian Giant rambles eastward in front of Gemini, 6.8° to the lower right of Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. Jupiter has a wide conjunction with the star on October 10th.
Uranus is in the same binocular field with the Pleiades star cluster, high in the southwest.
After the Venus–Saturn opposition, Saturn can be seen earlier in the morning with Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter. After Saturn and Neptune set, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus remain in the sky together.
Evening Moon with Scorpius
After sunset, the crescent moon, 31% illuminated, is less than 15° above the south-southwest horizon. In front of Scorpius, the lunar orb is 3.2° to the lower left of Antares, the Scorpion’s brightest star.
Evening Saturn
An hour after sunset, Saturn is low in the east-southeast. It is best observed through a telescope around midnight when it is higher in the south. Neptune is also at its best viewing time then.
Continue to watch the Venus–Saturn gap widen before sunrise. The moon waxes as it appears farther eastward each night.
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