Now’s the time to see Mercury! Look for more planets, too
Mercury has come into view in the east before dawn, below the 2 bright planets Venus and Jupiter. It reaches its greatest elongation – its farthest distance from the sun in the morning sky – at 10 UTC on August 19. And almost immediately after that the moon will sweep past all 3 planets! Plus, these aren’t the only planets in the morning sky. Get your planet and moon forecast for the week here! The video drops at 12:15 p.m. (17:15 UTC) on Monday, August 18. Deborah Byrd will host. View here or on YouTube.
What’s coming next week, before dawn
EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd and Bob King, aka AstroBob, were talking about the shadow transits of Saturn’s large moon Titan – going on now – on our August 15 livestream. But they stopped to show an image of the morning sky on Tuesday August 19. See the moon that morning? It’ll be poised to pass the planet parade in the morning sky!
August 18 morning: Moon and 3 bright stars
Tomorrow morning will be wonderful for star- and planet-watchers! The waning crescent moon is poised to move past many bright stars – the same ones we in the Northern Hemisphere associate with our winter evening sky – but now they’re in the east before dawn. Watch for Capella, Aldebaran and Betelgeuse near the moon tomorrow. And then keep watching! See the image above showing the moon, Venus and Jupiter on Tuesday morning, August 19. And set your alarm!
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Venus and Jupiter: Best photos
If you’re up early enough, no matter where you are on Earth, you’ll surely see the sky’s 2 brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, outshining everything else in the dawn sky. Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd for our favorite photos so far! Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.
Late August mornings: 4 visible planets
In the last few weeks of August, there will be 4 planets in the early morning sky. Here’s the view of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. You can catch Venus and Jupiter before dawn. Mercury might be visible in the morning twilight. Saturn is visible most the night. And the planets all lie along the ecliptic, the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
A preview of the August 19 shadow transit of Saturn’s large moon
On special dates throughout 2025, Saturn’s large moon Titan has been casting its shadow on Saturn’s cloudtops. Some in the EarthSky community have captured these remarkable events, which happen only about every 15 years. EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd – and our friend Bob King, aka AstroBob – explain and show pictures. Plus we preview upcoming Titan shadow transits.
August 19 and 20 mornings: Moon, Venus, Jupiter and stars
In the early morning hours on August 19, the waning crescent moon will hang near Jupiter with brilliant Venus shining nearby. On the following morning, August 20, a slender crescent moon will hang between brilliant Venus and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. And the bright star Procyon, of Canis Minor, shines nearby. Watch for them several hours before sunrise. Chart via EarthSky.
August 19: Mercury farthest from the morning sun
In late August, for Northern Hemisphere viewers, brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter are near Mercury. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the morning sun – or greatest western elongation – at 10 UTC on August 19. It will be 19 degrees from the sun then. Chart via EarthSky.
August 21 morning: Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and stars
In the early morning hours on August 21, the thin waning crescent moon will lie below brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter and close to Mercury in the bright twilight. Nearby you’ll spot the bright star Procyon and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Watch for them before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
August 23: New moon
The moment of new moon will fall at 6:06 UTC on August 23, 2025. That’s 1:06 a.m. CDT. New moons rise and set with the sun. Nights around the new moon are perfect for stargazing. See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze.
Shortly after sunset on August 25, the thin waxing crescent moon moon will float just above the western horizon. It will lie near Mars in the evening twilight. Nearby is the bright star Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Then, on the following evening, the crescent moon – full with earthshine – will shine between Mars and Spica. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
August 27 evening: Moon and Spica
As darkness falls on August 27, a waxing crescent moon and the bright star Spica will lie low on the southwestern horizon. What’s more, a few lucky observers in parts of South America and Antarctica will see the moon occult – or pass in front of – Spica at 15 UTC on August 27. If you look outside then and don’t see Spica … that might be because it’s behind the moon! Details on the occultation here. Chart via EarthSky.
August 29: Moon reaches apogee
The moon will reach apogee – its farthest distance from Earth for the second time this month in its elliptical orbit – at 16 UTC on August 29, 2025, when it’s 251,374 miles (404,548 km) away.
August 28 and 29 evenings: Moon near Zubenelgenubi
On the evenings of August 28 and 29, the waxing crescent moon will float near a star with a strange sounding name – Zubenelgenubi – low in the south. It’s in the constellation Libra the Scales. They’ll set a few hours after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.
August 30 and 31 evenings: Moon pairs up with Antares
On the evenings of August 30 and 31, the approximately half-lit moon will approach and then pass the bright red star Antares. What’s more, a few lucky observers in parts of Africa, Madagascar, Kerguelen Islands, Antarctica and New Zealand will see the moon occult – or pass in front of – Antares at 11 UTC on August 31. If you look outside then and don’t see Antares … that might be because it’s behind the moon! Details on the occultation here. But if you don’t live where the occultation is happening and still can’t see Antares, try positioning yourself so the moon lies behind a utility pole. Now see if the star pops into view! They’ll set before midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
If you’re out stargazing on any August evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the evening sky.
If you have a dark sky, it’s easy to observe the edgewise view into our own galaxy – our Milky Way – spanning across the heavens. Need help finding it? Look toward the constellation Cygnus the Swan. You might know this constellation by its asterism, the Northern Cross. The Swan swims along the Milky Way. Its brightest star is Deneb, the Swan’s Tail. Additionally, the constellation Cygnus contains one of the most beloved double stars in the sky, Albireo, which appears blue and gold.The constellation Lyra the Harp is another summer favorite. It consists of a triangle and a parallelogram. Its brightest star is Vega. Then, look next to it for the famous Epsilon Lyrae, the Double Double Star, really 4 stars in all.Aquila the Eagle is home to the star Altair, which is one of the corners of the Summer Triangle. In addition, you can also use Aquila to starhop your way to the Wild Duck Cluster in Scutum. Image via EarthSky.This chart shows the 3 stars of the Summer Triangle in the evening sky, looking east. Note the size of Vega’s constellation, Lyra. So the Summer Triangle is big! A 12-inch (1/3-meter) ruler, placed at an arm’s length from your eye, will span the approximate distance from Vega to the star Altair. And an outstretched hand with thumb and pinky spread will fill the gap between Vega and Deneb. You can see the Summer Triangle in the evening from around May through the end of every year.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
In early August, before sunrise, brilliant Venus will lie in the east above bright Jupiter. They’ll rise a few hours before sunrise. Plus, they’ll make a dynamic duo when they will lie closest to each other around August 12, which, coincidentally, is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. After their eye-catching close encounter, Jupiter will climb higher each day and move away from brilliant Venus. Both Venus and Jupiter will float among the stars of Gemini the Twins, with Venus moving in front of Cancer the Crab later in the month. Chart via EarthSky.In August, Saturn will shine in the south in the morning sky. Saturn is the bright object below the 4 moderately bright stars that make up the Great Square of Pegasus asterism. Saturn will be rising about an hour after sunset by month’s end and shining at 0.7 magnitude. Saturn shines in the constellation of Pisces the Fish this month. And Saturn will reach opposition – when we fly between it and the sun – in September. It’ll be brightest around then and visible all night. Chart via EarthSky.In late August, for Northern Hemisphere viewers, brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will lie near Mercury. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the morning sun – or greatest western elongation – at 10 UTC on August 19. It will be 19 degrees from the sun then. And Mercury moves from the constellation of Cancer the Crab to Leo the Lion this month. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for August 2025. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar.
Attention amateur astronomers! Guy Ottewell’s popular and informative Astronomical Calendar for 2025 is available in both electronic and printed versions.
Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. Tomorrow the moon will ride between the bright star Capella and reddish Betelgeuse. And see a video Mercury’s upcoming greatest elongation here.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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