Planet Parade 2025: See Six Planets Together!

In August 2025, six planets and the Moon will form a giant arc in the sky before sunrise: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, the Moon, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune. Here’s your guide to Planet Parade 2025, “Summer Edition,” including recommended dates, directions, and frequently asked questions, courtesy of expert astronomer Dean Regas. If you don’t already have a telescope, now is a great time to consider buying one!

Planet Parade 2025 Dates

August 1: Jupiter Anchors Out the Parade

If you were awake before sunrise in July 2025, you probably noticed one planet in the eastern sky that was brighter than any star. That was Venus and our sister planet continues to dazzle for the rest of the summer in the predawn sky.

Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are also up early in the morning. Saturn shines high in the southern sky before sunrise with Neptune nearby while Uranus can be found high in the eastern sky. However, you’ll need a telescope to find both Neptune and Uranus since they are not visible to the naked eye.

On August 1, a bright, new addition joins the planet line up: Jupiter. Jupiter has just emerged from behind the Sun and shifted from being visible in the evening skies earlier in the year, to shining steadily in the morning sky. Look for Jupiter below Venus and low above the east-northeastern horizon before sunrise.

August 5: Hunt for Neptune

Neptune is the farthest planet from the Earth. It’s about 2.7 billion miles away from us but you can use nearby Saturn to help find it. First find Saturn and see its rings in a telescope. Then pan the telescope upward about one degree. You might, just might spot a tiny blue disc. Congratulations, you’ve discovered Neptune!

August 11-13: Shooting Stars as Venus Kisses Jupiter

The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter kiss in the predawn sky (Venus-Jupiter conjunction). Face east about 45 minutes before sunrise to find brilliant Venus next to slightly dimmer Jupiter. They will appear side by side on August 11, closest on August 12, and Jupiter stands above Venus on August 13.

Venus and Jupiter will only be one to two degrees apart, but you will definitely be able to separate them with your naked eye. They will quickly spread out as Jupiter heads higher in the sky each morning while Venus sinks lower.

Note: The famous annual Perseid Meteor Shower reaches peak activity between August 11-13. This year, the bright Moon may wash out many of the shooting stars. But, hey, if you’re already out there looking for planets, you have a decent chance of catching one or two! Stay on the look out!

August 12: Moon Kisses Saturn and Neptune

That morning, the waning gibbous Moon slides near the pair of planets, Saturn and Neptune. Face south an hour or two before sunrise and the Moon will be about three degrees to the right of Saturn.

August 16: Moon Near Pleiades and Uranus

Look high in the southeastern sky to find the third quarter Moon. To the left of the Moon, you may see a little star cluster called the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. The planet Uranus will be about five degrees below the Moon that morning, but you’ll need a telescope to find it.

August 18: Picture-Perfect Line Up

This will be the morning where several bright planets and the Moon will line up in a picture-perfect parade. Face east about 45 minutes before sunrise. Mercury will be lowest in the sky and toughest to spot. But above it and to the right, you won’t miss dazzlingly bright Venus quickly followed by dimmer, but still stunning Jupiter. Higher still you’ll see the waning crescent Moon. Camera alert: The four space objects will appear nicely spaced in an arc, so get your camera ready and share your pictures with us!

August 20: Moon Kisses Venus

Just before sunrise face east and you’ll see a slim crescent Moon near the brightest starlike object. That is Venus and it is spectacular.

August 21: Moon Over Mercury

Mercury will be extremely low in the eastern sky and may be lost in the dawn’s glare. However, you might have a chance of spotting it just below the slimmest crescent Moon about 30 minutes before sunrise.

RELATED: Mercury Retrograde

The End of the Parade

The Planet Parade will break up quickly with Mercury being the first to fall out of visibility by August 29 or 30. The five remaining planets will linger through summertime making appearances every morning through September.

September 8: Moon Near Saturn

Face west before sunrise to find the Moon below and to the right of Saturn.

September 16: Moon Kisses Jupiter

The Moon comes around again to cozy up to Jupiter in the eastern sky that morning.

September 19: Moon-Venus-Regulus

One of the closest Moon-planet pairings of the summer will occur before sunrise. The waning crescent Moon will be less than one degree from brilliant Venus. They will appear so close that you should be able to see both in a telescope at the same time. And what is that star you may see in the telescope as well? That’s Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion which will also be less than one degree from Venus that morning.

By October 1, Saturn and Neptune will set in the west as Venus rises in the east, which means it will be difficult to see all those planets at one time. Venus will still be your morning star, easily observable in the pre-dawn sky until November. Meanwhile the other planets will slowly shift to being more visible in the evening sky, spreading out in a long arc after sunset by year’s end.

Planet Parade 2025 FAQ

Why Do Planets Line Up?

Our solar system is a flat disc, and the planets can be found lined up in front of the same stars in predictable patterns. The planets, Sun, and Moon wander in front of the same twelve zodiac constellations like Leo and Gemini during their regular cycles. On occasion, their orbital speeds and positions align.

Why is August’s Planet Parade being called the “Summer Edition?”

August’s line-up is being called Planet Parade 2025 “Summer Edition” because it will be the second parade of 2025. The first one occurred in January 2025.

How Often Do Planet Parades Happen?

Planet parades usually happen each year, but some years are more dazzling than others. In 2025, we are lucky enough to have two of them!

Will August’s parade be better than January’s?

The short answer is: unfortunately, no; While the same number of planets (six) will be visible in the sky together, January’s parade of planets occurred in the evening, which is more convenient timing. Also, planets are much easier to see in cool, crisp winter skies. That said, August’s line-up is worth watching—especially on the morning of August 18th.

When was the best planet parade?

The most impressive planet parade of the decade occurred in June 2022. All the planets were in the sky at the same time: Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn were in an arc while dwarf planet Pluto stood at the end.

Previous Planet Parade

In January and February 2025, a parade of planets appeared in the evening sky. In case you’re curious, these were the key dates:

January 10: Moon Kissed Jupiter

The Moon was near the bright planet Jupiter.

January 13: Moon Eclipsed Mars

The nearly full Moon blocked the red planet Mars in an extremely rare astronomical event called an occultation.

January 17 and 18: Venus Kissed Saturn

One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus was to the right of Saturn (much dimmer) in the western sky. Those with telescopes could easily hop from seeing Venus to Saturn’s rings.

January 29: Free Telescopic Broadcast

Our friends at the Adler Planetarium—the oldest Planetarium in the Western Hemisphere—offered a free telescopic broadcast of the Parade of Planets on Wednesday, 1/29. In case you missed it, you can watch here:

January 31: Slimmest Crescent Moon Cradled Saturn

45 minutes after sunset, if you looked low in the western sky, you could see an ultra-thin crescent Moon. Just above it was a faint yellow “star,” the planet Saturn. Check our our Crescent Moon Calendar.

February 1: Moon Kissed Venus … And Neptune!

One hour after sunset, if you faced west, the waxing crescent Moon appeared just to the left of the vibrant planet Venus. And those with a telescope could spot Neptune hiding below the left side of the Moon.

February 5: Moon Kissed Uranus

High in the southern sky on this night, the Moon hung near a bright cluster of stars: the Pleiades, aka the Seven Sisters.

Unseen to the naked eye, Uranus was also nearby, about four degrees below the Moon.

February 6: Moon Kissed Jupiter

The Moon appeared on this night above the giant planet Jupiter. The reddish star just below Jupiter was Aldebaran, which marks the eye of the bull, Taurus.

February 9: Moon, Mars, and the Twins

The Moon appeared near a triangle of stars high in the southeast on this night. The brightest “star” with a reddish tint was Mars. The other two stars were the Twins, Pollux and Castor, of constellation Gemini,

A Final Thought

Please bear in mind that star charts and social media often make planet parades seem to be more impressive than they are. Although six planets may be in the sky at the same time two of them, Uranus and Neptune, are invisible to the unaided eye.

That said, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are always a wonderful treat to identify!

Join the Discussion

Are you excited for Parade of Planets 2025 summer edition?

Will you be watching with your telescope?

Share your thoughts and photos in the comments section!