October 25, 2025: Three bright planets—Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn—join the crescent moon and bright stars like Capella and Arcturus in the October sky. See earthshine, and spot Uranus and Neptune through a binocular before moonlight returns.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 5:54 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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Bright Planet, Moon, and Stars
Three bright planets and the crescent moon are visible during the nighttime hours. Bright stars like Capella and Arcturus appear in distinct positions along their annual cycles.
Venus before Sunrise
Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, shine like jewels in the morning sky. Brilliant Venus outshines all other stars. As it retreats into morning twilight, the Morning Star rises earlier each morning. At 45 minutes before sunrise, find it less than 10° above the east-northeast horizon.
Look farther north along the horizon for Arcturus, slightly higher than Venus and over 30° to the left. The second-brightest star visible from mid-northern latitudes shines in the western portion this evening.
Jupiter
Bright Jupiter, noticeably dimmer than Venus, rises in the east-northeast before midnight and is high in the south during morning twilight. It rambles eastward in front of Gemini, to the lower right of Pollux, one of the Twins.
Crescent Moon after Sunset
After sundown, the crescent moon is low in the southwest, less than 10° above the horizon. Its 17%-illuminated phase displays earthshine on the night portion—reflected sunlight from Earth’s clouds, oceans, and land. Capture earthshine with a steady camera and exposures up to a few seconds.
The lunar orb is 11° to the upper left of Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star, during its final evening appearance. From a clear horizon, use a binocular to find the stars Shaula and Lesath at the Scorpion’s tail, nearly 9° to the moon’s lower left and low in the sky.
Saturn
Saturn is in the east-southeast as darkness falls. Through a telescope, the planet’s rings appear as a razor-thin line, seen nearly edge-on, like the rim of a dinner plate.
During the night, Saturn appears farther west, crossing the south direction about five hours after sundown. This is when very dim Neptune is best observed through a binocular. Saturn and Neptune fit within the same binocular field. Saturn sets in the western sky about three hours before sunrise.
Capella
One hour after sundown, look for Capella low in the east-northeast. It rises shortly after sunset. Its post-sundown appearance signals the approach of colder months in the northern hemisphere.
Capella is the fourth-brightest star for sky watchers at mid-northern latitudes. It leads the bright winter stars into the evening sky, followed by Aldebaran, which rises over two hours after sundown. Capella is high in the west-southwest during morning twilight.
Uranus and Pleiades
The Pleiades star cluster and Uranus rise after Capella and before Aldebaran. The planet is in the same binocular field with the star cluster. They are best viewed from about four hours after sunset until the beginning of morning twilight, when the pair is high in the western sky. The Pleiades resembles a tiny dipper. Other stars in the binocular field are 13, 14, 32, and 37 Tauri (Tau). Aquamarine Uranus as about the same brightness as those stars.
Look for October’s bright celestial sights during the nighttime hours.
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