December 12, 2025: Vega and Deneb make a double appearance each day, rising before sunrise and lingering after sunset. Learn why these bright stars dominate the late autumn sky, how long they remain above the horizon, and where to find them before dawn and after nightfall.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:09 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.
Vega, the third brightest star for sky watchers at the mid-northern latitudes, appears before sunrise and after sunset. It rises well before daybreak and sets long after nightfall. At Chicago’s latitude today, daylight lasts 9 hours, 11 minutes, while Vega is above the horizon for 18 hours, 5 minutes.
Vega, meaning “falling eagle,” is the brightest star in Lyra, the Lyre (harp). The blue-white star—indicating a temperature hotter than the sun—is 25 light years away and shines with the intensity of about 50 suns.
Vega, Altair, and Deneb form the Summer Triangle, visible in the eastern evening sky near the summer solstice. As winter approaches, the Triangle shifts westward. The shape begins the night in the western sky, while Vega and Deneb reappear in the northeast before sunrise. As Earth rotates, they seem to move farther westward during the day and appear in the western sky after sunset.
Deneb, meaning “hen’s tail,” is part of Cygnus the Swan. It lies along the plane of the Milky Way at a distance of 1,400 light years and shines with the intensity of nearly 50,000 suns, making it the 14th brightest star for mid-northern observers.
Deneb is farther north than Vega and is in the sky for nearly 21 hours at Chicago’s latitude. It is about 3° from being circumpolar, the category for stars that never set. The circumpolar set grows for more northerly latitudes and shrinks for more southerly latitudes. At the mid-northern latitudes the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, Draco, and Cepheus never set. South of the equator, a different group of stars remains above the horizon.
Look for Vega’s double play, along with Deneb, in the northeast before sunrise and in the western sky after sunset.
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