November 3, 2025: The moon and three bright planets—Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn—shine during nighttime hours. Discover when and where to find each, and watch Venus pair with Spica before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:26 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:42 p.m. CST. 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 moon and three bright planets are visible during nighttime hours. The lunar orb approaches the full phase and appears farther westward during the night. Saturn is visible after sunset until after midnight. Jupiter rises later in the evening and stands high in the south-southwest during morning twilight. Venus climbs into view during morning twilight.
Morning Sky
Step outside during twilight and look eastward. Brilliant Venus, descending into bright morning twilight, is less than 10° up in the east-southeast. Find a clear horizon in that direction.
Spica, Virgo’s brightest star, is 3.8° to Venus’ right. It easily fits into the same binocular field with the Morning Star. This star makes its first morning appearance, or heliacal rising, across the mid-northern latitudes. Can you see it without a binocular’s optical assist?
Arcturus, the second-brightest star visible from mid-northern latitudes, is nearly 20° above the eastern horizon and about 30° to Venus’ upper left. The star displays a topaz hue that is easily seen through a binocular. Compare its color to Spica’s.
Jupiter
Jupiter, noticeably dimmer than Venus but brighter than any star, is high in the south-southwest. The Jovian Giant’s eastward ramble slows as the illusion of retrograde motion begins in several nights. The planet is 6.7° to the lower left of Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. Jupiter rises in the east-northeast about five hours after sundown and climbs higher through the night from Earth’s rotation.
Saturn, Moon after Sunset
After sunset, the bright gibbous moon, 96% illuminated, shines in the eastern sky. The Full Beaver Moon occurs in two nights. Tonight’s moonlight casts a silvery glow across the landscape—enough for a moonlit walk over the next few evenings.
Saturn is about 25° to the moon’s upper right. The Ringed Wonder is south and highest in the sky about four hours after nightfall, setting in the western sky a few hours after midnight.
The Ringed Wonder appears dimmer than average. Through a telescope, its rings are edge-on—like viewing the rim of a dinner plate—appearing nearly as a thin line across the planet. The icy ring particles reflect sunlight away from Earth, slightly reducing the planet’s brilliance. Though not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, Saturn still outshines nearly every star tonight.
Plan your evening walk in moonlight or spot the night’s bright planets.
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