December 24, 2025: See Jupiter, Saturn, and the crescent moon on Christmas Eve. Earthshine, bright winter stars, and the season’s best evening sky scenes are visible.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:16 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:25 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Christmas Eve Sky
On Christmas Eve across the mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter, Saturn, the crescent moon, and bright stars are easily visible.
Jupiter and Saturn are visible during the evening. Saturn is the first planet in view, appearing in the southern sky after sunset. After evening twilight ends — about 90 minutes after sundown — the sky is darkest until morning twilight begins 90 minutes before daybreak.
Saturn and Moon
At the end of evening twilight, the crescent moon, 22% illuminated, is nearly one-third of the way from the southwest horizon to overhead. It is in front of Aquarius, 4.9° to the upper left of Deneb Algedi, Capricornus’ tail. Look for earthshine — sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land — softly lighting the lunar night.
Saturn is nearly halfway up in the southern sky, about 30° to the moon’s upper left. Through a telescope, the rings appear nearly edge-on, a once-every-15-years view when the ring plane aligns with Earth’s line of sight.
Jupiter and Bright Stars in East
Thirty minutes later, at two hours after nightfall, bright Jupiter is low in the east-northeast. With Venus immersed in bright sunlight, the Jovian Giant is brighter than all the stars in the sky tonight. Jupiter retrogrades in front of Gemini, 6.6° from Pollux, one of the Twins.
Jupiter is near opposition where it shines in the sky all night as our home world rotates. After sunset it is in the eastern sky, is high in the south near midnight, and appears low in the western sky during morning twilight.
Farther to the right along the horizon, Orion is rising. The Hunter’s belt stars help with constellation identification. Betelgeuse, marking a shoulder, has a soft ruby tint, while Rigel, at a knee, is sapphire blue-white.
Taurus is above Orion with its pretty star clusters — Hyades and Pleiades. Use a binocular to see the Hyades near topaz-hued Aldebaran, together outlining the Bull’s head. The Pleiades, resembling a miniature dipper, are higher in the sky. The horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, extend outward toward Auriga.
To form the Charioteer’s pentagon shape, Elnath is included, although it is singly associated with the Bull. Capella — the little she-goat — is Auriga’s brightest star and the fourth-brightest visible from the mid-northern latitudes. Three dimmer stars to Capella’s right, known informally as “the Kids,” form a small triangle referencing Capella’s mythical motherhood.
Summer Triangle in West
Now look westward. The Summer Triangle is there, more widely spaced than the winter grouping. Deneb is the highest, about halfway from the west horizon to overhead. Blue-white Vega is halfway from the west-northwest horizon to Deneb. Altair is in the west, lower in the sky than the moon and Vega.
Nine of the fifteen brightest stars visible from the mid-northern latitudes are in the sky at this hour. In order of brightness, they are: Vega, Capella, Rigel, Betelgeuse, Altair, Aldebaran, Pollux, Fomalhaut, and Deneb.
Dress warmly and step into a dark location. Standing under a clear winter sky with the planets, the crescent moon, and the bright stars gleaming above is a remarkable experience.
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