October 7, 2025: The bright Harvest Moon joins Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn in the October sky. Spot the Full moon in the evening and watch the bright planets before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:55 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:22 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
The bright Harvest Moon and three bright planets – Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – are visible during the night.
Early Moon Saturn and Moon
For early risers, the Harvest Moon is in the western sky. Two hours before daybreak, the lunar orb is over 25° above the west-southwest horizon. As sunrise approaches, the moon descends lower, setting as the sun comes into view.
Saturn, low in the west, is over 20° below the moon. With bright moonlight flooding the sky, Neptune – near Saturn – and Uranus – high in the southwest near the Pleiades – are difficult to see.
Jupiter and Venus
At this hour, Jupiter is high in the southwest. By mid-twilight, about 45 minutes before sunrise, the Jovian Giant is high in the southeast, 6.7° to the lower right of Pollux, one of the Twins.
Brilliant Venus, slowly receding into brighter twilight, is over 10° above the eastern horizon. This morning it passes 10.8° from Denebola, the Lion’s tail. Tomorrow morning, the Morning Star steps eastward in front of Virgo.
After Sunset, Saturn, Moon, and Fomalhaut
After sunset, the nearly full moon, 99% illuminated, is low in the east-northeast. The Saturn-Moon gap is over 30°, with the Ringed Wonder more than 15° above the east-southeast horizon.
This evening, begin looking for Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish, low in the southeast. At a distance of 25 light years, Fomalhaut is the 13th brightest star visible from mid-northern latitudes. It climbs to about 20° above the southern horizon around midnight and sets in the southwest about four hours before sunrise.
Mars and Mercury remain hidden in bright western twilight.
The bright moon dominates the night. Find Venus and Jupiter before sunrise and Saturn during the evening.
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