2025, November 23: Jupiter Reigns the Night Sky as Venus Fades into Morning Twilight

November 23, 2025: As Venus descends into morning twilight, Jupiter dominates the night sky while Saturn gleams nearby and the crescent moon returns to the evening.

2014, October 1: Jupiter, Regulus before sunrise.
Chart Caption – 2014, October 1: Jupiter, Regulus before sunrise.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:50 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:24 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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Jupiter Reigns the Night

Jupiter, November 23, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, November 23: An hour before sunrise, Jupiter is high in the west-southwest near Pollux, a Gemini Twin.

As Venus recedes into brighter morning twilight, Jupiter reigns the night sky. While the Jovian Giant does not rise until nearly four hours after sunset – surprisingly early with the early sunsets of standard time – it climbs high in the sky during the night, and by morning twilight it is high in the west-southwest.

Jupiter Retrograde 2025-2026
Chart Caption – 2025, November 11-2026, March 10: Jupiter retrogrades about 10° against Gemini.

Jupiter retrogrades in front of Gemini, 6.7° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Gemini Twins.

Venus

Venus, November 23, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, November 23: At 30 minutes before sunrise, Venus is low in the east-southeast.

Venus retreats into brighter morning twilight. As the third brightest celestial body, it can be seen near the horizon and during bright twilight. At 30 minutes before daybreak, it is low in the east-southeast. Find a clear horizon to see it.

Evening Crescent Moon

Moon, November 23, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, November 23: The crescent moon is in the southwest after sunset. Use a binocular to see the star Nunki nearby.

After sunset, the crescent moon, 12% illuminated, is low in the southwest, in front of Sagittarius. Use a binocular to spot the star Nunki, 2.0° above the lunar orb.

Earthshine
Earthshine

Capture earthshine – sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land that softly lights the lunar night – with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady smartphone and exposures of up to several seconds.

Saturn

Saturn, November 23, 2025
Chart Caption – 2025, November 23: An hour after sunset, Saturn is in the southeastern sky.

Saturn is farther eastward, less than halfway from the southeast horizon and overhead. Considerably dimmer than Jupiter, it is the brightest body in that region. The planet is best observed through a telescope about three hours after sunset when it is at its highest point above the southern horizon.

This sequence of images from the Hubble Space Telescope documents a rare astronomical alignment -- Saturn's magnificent ring system turned edge-on. This occurs when the Earth passes through Saturn's ring plane, as it does approximately every 15 years.
This sequence of images from the Hubble Space Telescope documents a rare astronomical alignment — Saturn’s magnificent ring system turned edge-on. This occurs when the Earth passes through Saturn’s ring plane, as it does approximately every 15 years. (NASA photos)

The telescopic view is unusual because we are seeing the rings from the edge – an event that occurs about every 15 years. This reduces the planet’s brightness because the icy particles reflect sunlight away from Earth, making the planet appear dimmer.

Look for Jupiter and Saturn during evening hours when they shine brightly, or find Jupiter during morning twilight. The moon re-enters the evening sky as a thin crescent while Venus departs before sunrise.

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