October 5, 2025: As the Harvest Moon nears fullness, it passes Saturn in the evening sky. Before sunrise, Venus shines brilliantly with Jupiter high in the southeast, while Uranus challenges binocular observers.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:52 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:25 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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Saturn and Harvest Moon
As the Full Harvest Moon approaches, the moon passes Saturn. Two bright planets are visible during morning twilight.
Early risers can find the gibbous moon, 95% illuminated, low in the west-southwest three hours before sunrise. It is 10.5°, about the width of an extended fist, to Saturn’s lower right. After moonset and during the daytime, when the moon is below the horizon in the Americas, the moon moves closer to Saturn. Look for them this evening.
Venus and Saturn are nearing their opposition. Venus rises as Saturn sets, though the Ringed Wonder is already hidden by the thick air near the horizon. The moon’s presence reduces the possibility of seeing Neptune in the same binocular field with Saturn.
Uranus and Pleiades
At two hours before daybreak and before twilight begins, Uranus is visible through a binocular near the Pleiades star cluster, high in the southwest. This view becomes more difficult as the Full Moon phase approaches.
Jupiter
Bright Jupiter is farther eastward. At 45 minutes before sunup, the Jovian Giant is high in the southeast. It is the second brightest starlike body after Venus.
Jupiter rambles eastward in front of Gemini, 6.7° to Pollux’s lower right, one of the Twins.
Venus
Brilliant Venus is to Jupiter’s lower left and nearly 15° above the east horizon. It steps eastward in front of Leo, 11.1° to the right of Denebola, the Lion’s tail.
Evening Saturn and Moon
After sunset and one night before the Full Moon phase, the bright moon, 98% illuminated, is low in the east-southeast, 2.4° to the upper left of Saturn. During the night, the pair appears farther westward, though the gap between them widens as the moon revolves slowly eastward. Look for a wider separation in the morning in the western sky.
Mercury and Mars are not visible as they are hidden by western evening twilight before they set.
The nearly Full Harvest Moon passes Saturn. Venus and Jupiter shine in the predawn sky.
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