Topline<\/p>\n
Have you seen the planet parade<\/a> going on before dawn? If not, have a look now because it will soon disappear. This week\u2019s main event in the parade is a very rare and spectacular meeting of Venus, a crescent moon and bright star Regulus on Friday, Sept. 19 \u2014 the closest such pairing until the 2040s. With Saturn reaching opposition on Sunday, Sept. 21, it\u2019s one of the best weekends of 2025 so far for planet-spotting.<\/p>\n September’s planetary parade features five planets, three of them visible to the naked eye \u2014 and Saturn at opposition. Here\u2019s when and where to look this weekend, Sept. 19-21, 2025.<\/p>\n NASA, ESA, CSA, Matthew Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matthew Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA) Image Processing Joseph DePasquale (STScI)Key Facts<\/p>\n This planet parade is best seen about an hour before sunrise, with Venus low in the east, Jupiter high in the east-southeast, and Saturn low in the west. Uranus and Neptune are also present, but require binoculars or a telescope to see.<\/p>\n On Friday, Sept. 19, Venus, a 5%-lit waning crescent moon and bright star Regulus will cluster within just over a degree of sky. All three will be visible to the naked eye, and appear in the same field of view of binoculars.<\/p>\n Saturday, Sept. 20, will see Venus and Regulus still close together, but the crescent moon will have moved away and be barely visible below. Look for subtle \u201cEarthshine\u201d on the moon’s dark side \u2014 it\u2019s sunlight reflected by oceans, clouds and ice.<\/p>\n Saturn is now as good as it gets. It\u2019s the planet\u2019s annual opposition on Sunday, Sept. 21. On that date, it will rise at sunset, reach its highest around midnight and set at sunrise.<\/p>\n The showpiece of the “planet parade” this week comes on Friday, Sept. 19, when a slender 6%-lit waning crescent moon, Venus and Regulus \u2014 the brightest star in the constellation Leo \u2014 align in just a degree of the sky before dawn.<\/p>\n StellariumA Rare Trio Before Dawn<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s moon-Venus-Regulus grouping is the tightest such conjunction until 2041. They’ll be so close that skywatchers will be able to cover them all up with a thumb held at arm\u2019s length against the sky, according to When The Curves Line Up<\/a>. It\u2019s a rare chance to see a planet, a star and the moon in one tiny patch of sky. As a bonus, the waning crescent moon will be around 6%-lit \u2014 one of its most spectacular and beautiful phases. <\/p>\n Partial solar eclipse seen from the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, on 29 March, 2025 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. (Photo By Lorena Sopena\/Europa Press via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Europa Press via Getty ImagesBright Saturn And A Solar Eclipse<\/p>\n Saturn\u2019s opposition on Sunday, Sept. 21, put the sixth planet’s biggest, brightest and best in 2025. This weekend is when to look at it through any telescope, though its famous rings are tilted almost edge-on this year. On Monday, Sept. 22, skywatchers in New Zealand, Antarctica, and parts of the South Pacific will witness a very deep partial solar eclipse at sunrise. By chance, it almost coincides with the southward equinox<\/a>, when the sun appears directly above the equator at midday on its apparent journey south. <\/p>\n Further Reading:ForbesBlood Moon 2025: The Difference Between A Lunar And A Solar EclipseBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesGet Ready For The Best Northern Lights Until 2035, Experts SayBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesWhen To See The Next \u2018Blood Moon\u2019 Eclipse In North AmericaBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline Have you seen the planet parade going on before dawn? 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