December 6, 2025: Tonight, the bright moon shines with Gemini and Jupiter, while Mercury reaches its best morning display of the year. Saturn’s Rings are seen edge-on. Veus and Mars disappear into brighter sunlight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:04 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:20 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sun: Through December 14th, the sun is at its earliest sunset time in Chicago, where daylight spans 9 hours, 16 minutes — only eight minutes longer than the year’s shortest daylight interval. Today in Miami, daylight lasts 10 hours, 26 minutes, while Anchorage receives 5 hours, 49 minutes of sunlight, 22 minutes longer than on the winter solstice. At latitude 22.5° south, the sun is nearly overhead at noon, less than 1° from the Tropic of Capricorn.
Moon: The bright moon is visible nearly all night, shining with Gemini and bright Jupiter. Two nights after the Full (Cold) moon, the 93% illuminated lunar orb rises nearly two hours after sundown. As the sky seems to turn westward, Gemini’s Twins and Jupiter appear below the moon and above the east-northeast horizon. Five hours after sunset — not so late with early sunsets — the lunar orb is over 30° up in the east, 8.3° to Jupiter’s upper right, 7.4° to Castor’s right, and 7.5° to Castor’s upper right. By late evening, the Moon, Jupiter, and Gemini are over halfway from the east-southeast horizon to overhead.
Inner Planets
Mercury: The innermost planet is offering its best predawn appearance of the year. At mid-twilight, about 45 minutes before sunrise, Mercury is about 10° above the east-southeast horizon. It is bright, although muted by twilight and the thick atmosphere near the horizon. Use a binocular to initially locate it from a clear, unobstructed horizon. Mercury reaches greatest elongation tomorrow, appearing farthest from the sun, though still low before sunrise.
Venus: The Morning Star recedes into bright sunlight as it approaches superior conjunction on the sun’s far side next month. At 20 minutes before sunrise, Venus is only a few degrees above the east-southeast horizon — a very difficult observation. A nearly perfect natural horizon and a binocular are needed.
Outer Planets
Mars: The Red Planet continues descending into evening twilight, setting less than 30 minutes after the sun. After its conjunction with the sun next month, it slowly reappears in the eastern morning sky.
Jupiter: The Jovian Giant retrogrades in front of Gemini near Pollux. Jupiter and the moon are visible nearly all night. (See the Moon section above for the after-sunset view.) Before sunrise this morning, Jupiter and the moon are in the western sky. The bright moon, 97% illuminated, is about 30° above the west-northwest horizon, nearly 20° to Jupiter’s lower right.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder is in prime position for telescopic viewing after sunset, nearly halfway up in the south-southeast. Not as bright as Jupiter, Saturn is still brighter than the surrounding stars. It is nearly the same brightness as Fomalhaut, the 13th brightest star from the mid-northern latitudes, nearly 30° to its lower right. The rings appear edge-on — like looking at the side of a dinner plate — forming a narrow line across the planet.
Uranus: The Tilted World is in the same binocular field with the Pleiades star cluster, although tonight’s bright moonlight overwhelms a favorable view. Wait until the moon returns to its crescent phases.
Neptune: Dim Neptune’s visibility is similarly affected by moonlight. It is currently in the same region of the sky as Saturn, although it is over three times farther from Earth. Neptune is a challenging target even on moonless nights, and tonight it is essentially invisible. Like Uranus, wait for the moon to wane.
Aldebaran: Taurus’ brightest star rises in the east-northeast at sunset, shining opposite the sun tonight. It displays a rosy tint that is intensified through a binocular. Aldebaran is in the south before midnight and sets in the west-northwest about 30 minutes before daybreak. Do not confuse it with brighter Capella, higher in the northeastern sky during early evening.
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