November 29, 2025: Before sunrise, Jupiter shines high in front of Gemini while Mercury makes its best morning appearance of the year. Low in the east-southeast, the Moon–Saturn pairing highlights the evening sky. Learn when and where to look for each planet.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:57 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:21 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
Three bright planets and the moon offer views before sunrise and after sunset. Jupiter reigns the morning sky while Mercury races into its best morning appearance of the year. Venus retreats into bright sunlight as it approaches superior conjunction. During the evening, the gibbous moon and Saturn are easy to find, although moonlight overwhelms dimmer celestial wonders. Each segment of the sky provides a changing scene.
Before Sunrise
Before sunrise, three bright planets are visible. Begin an hour before sunrise. Bright Jupiter is about halfway up in the west-southwest, 6.6° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Gemini Twins. Castor is to the right.
The Jovian Giant retrogrades in front of Gemini, passing Pollux on December 13th for the second part of a triple conjunction series.
Look for Procyon, meaning “before the Dog,” to Pollux’s lower left, and Capella, “the little she goat,” to Castor’s lower right.
Mercury dashes into the eastern morning sky for its best morning appearance of the year. Rising 90 minutes before sunrise, it is low in the east-southeast 45 minutes later. Use a binocular to see it below the Scorpion’s claws – Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. Under ideal conditions, it might be visible without optical assistance.
Look for it a few minutes earlier each morning during the next several mornings as it brightens and reaches greatest elongation on December 7th. The earlier view places the planet in a slightly darker sky, helping with its unaided identification. Find a clear, unobstructed horizon toward the east-southeast.
Venus quickly retreats into brighter sunlight as it heads toward superior conjunction on the far side of the sun early next year. Morning Star aficionados can chase it as it approaches sunlight. This morning, the planet rises about 45 minutes before sunup. Fifteen minutes later, it is immediately above the horizon. A binocular helps with its identification, though it is visible across a natural horizon or from an elevated structure.
After Sunset
After sundown, the gibbous moon, 68% illuminated, is less than halfway from the horizon to overhead. It is 4.9° to Saturn’s upper left.
Tonight’s moonlight washes across the sky, blotting out dimmer celestial wonders. At a crescent phase, the lunar orb could guide a sky watcher to Neptune, although the moon is too bright tonight for a worthwhile view.
Saturn, dimmer than average, slowly moves eastward in front of Pisces’ faint stars after retrograde ended a few nights ago. We see the planet’s rings from the edge, and their icy particles reflect most of the planet’s brightness away from Earth. Even so, the Ringed Wonder is brighter than most stars in tonight’s sky.
Tonight, Saturn and the moon are south about three hours after nightfall, near the time Jupiter rises. The pair sets after midnight.
Jupiter is the brightest starlike body as brilliant Venus disappears into bright sunlight. It rises in the east-northeast about three hours after sunset. During the night, it climbs higher in the eastern sky. Compared to this morning’s view, the Jovian Giant is to Pollux’s lower right.
Jupiter is high in the south about four hours before sunrise and in the western sky during morning twilight.
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