The ‘planet parade’ in the predawn sky on September 23, 2025, with Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn visible to the unaided eye. Uranus and Neptune can be spotted using a telescope. Mercury, which had been part of the parade to start, is no longer visible in the sky at this time. (Stellarium/Scott Sutherland)
Saturn rises just after sunset as the season begins, with Jupiter following along after 1 a.m., and Venus appearing around 5 a.m., local time. Those with access to a telescope can spot Neptune just to the east of Saturn, while Uranus can be found near the Pleiades star cluster.
During the first few weeks of fall, the parade will stretch out across the sky. The first four members rise earlier each night, and thus are farther to the west by the time Venus rises, while Venus will be rising later and later, thus getting closer to the eastern horizon, morning by morning.
Venus, the Waning Crescent Moon, and Jupiter, in the predawn sky (around 6:30 a.m. local time) on October 18, 2025. (Stellarium)
By mid-October, the parade will end, though. We can still see Venus and Jupiter before sunrise, with Uranus continuing to ‘hang out’ near the Pleiades. However, Saturn and Neptune will be rising early enough by then that they will have slipped beyond the western horizon by the time Venus rises in the east.
Watch for the Moon to ‘team up’ with various planets during the fall season:
Oct 5-6: Waxing Gibbous Moon near Saturn
Oct 13, predawn: Last Quarter Moon near Jupiter
Oct 14, predawn: Waning Crescent Moon near Jupiter
Oct 19, predawn: Waning Crescent Moon near Venus
Oct 23, evening: Waxing Crescent Moon near Mars and Mercury
Nov 1-2: Waxing Gibbous Moon near Saturn
Nov 10, predawn: Waning Gibbous Moon near Jupiter
Nov 18, predawn: Waning Crescent Moon near Venus
Nov 29-30: Waxing Gibbous Moon near Saturn
Dec 7, predawn: Waning Gibbous Moon near Jupiter
Dec 17, predawn: Waning Crescent Moon near Mercury
The Season of Meteor Showers
Look up on any night of the year and you might be lucky enough to spot a meteor flashing by overhead. Meteors are caused by dust particles or tiny pieces of rock from space, as they are swept up by Earth’s atmosphere and produce a streak of light across the sky. At certain times of the year, though, we can witness dozens and sometimes hundreds of meteors, all seeming to emerge from a specific point in the night sky.
These events are known as meteor showers, with each named after the constellation that is closest to its point of origin (aka its ‘radiant’).