The planets are improving somewhat in August 2025, as the nights get longer and darker, and several worlds are visible in the sky before sunrise.
Jupiter and Venus are together in the morning sky, visible in the east before sunrise.
At the start of August 2025, the two planets are getting closer to each other with each passing morning, culminating in a beautiful conjunction on 12 August.
At this point Jupiter and Venus will be so close together in the sky, they'll look like a double star.
Get more stargazing advice by signing up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter and listening to our weekly Star Diary podcast.
Saturn and Neptune are also close together, rising in the east just after sunset and visible all night, then visible in the south just as the Sun rises.
If you can locate Saturn, get out your telescope or binoculars and see if you can spot dim Neptune above it.
As always, care must be taken when observing planets before sunrise, as catching a glimpse of the Sun without proper solar observing equipment could seriously damage your eyesight.
Uranus is also a morning planet, visible in the east before sunrise.
It's below the Pleiades star cluster, and will be tracking beneath the Pleiades as the month goes on.
If you can catch Uranus, the Pleiades and bright star Aldebaran together, it could make for a beautiful photo opportunity.
By late August, Mercury will have emerged into the morning sky too, no longer being swallowed by the Sun's glare.
Indeed, many are talking about the morning planets forming an August planet parade in the morning sky.
Find out what each of the planets is doing in August 2025 via The Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence's guide below.
Mercury
- Best time to see: 19 August, 40 minutes before sunrise
- Altitude: 8° (low)
- Location: Cancer
- Direction: East-northeast
Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on 1 August and so will be difficult to see until around 19 August, when it emerges from the Sun’s glare into the morning sky. On the 19th, it rises a little under 2 hours before the Sun.
On this date, it shines at mag. +0.1 and is 2.5° south of the Beehive Cluster, M44, but the morning twilight will mask the cluster stars. A slender 4%-lit waning crescent Moon joins the scene on 21 August, 7.6° northwest of mag. –0.2 Mercury. On 31 August, Mercury rises 1 hour 15 minutes before the Sun and shines at mag. –1.1.
Venus
- Best time to see: 12 August, 90 minutes before sunrise
- Altitude: 13°
- Location: Gemini
- Direction: East-northeast
Venus is also in the morning sky and has a very close encounter with mag. –1.8 Jupiter on 12 August, the pair appearing just 52 arcminutes apart.
On 31 August, mag. –3.8 Venus will be just south of the Beehive Cluster, an encounter just visible in deep twilight from around 04:15 BST (03:15 UT).
Mars
Above the western horizon, Mars is compromised by bright evening twilight after sunset.
Jupiter
- Best time to see: 31 August, 04:30 BST (03:30 UT)
- Altitude: 23°
- Location: Gemini
- Direction: East
Jupiter is yet another morning planet. Although it doesn’t quite manage to reach an optimal position before sunrise, it’s improving rapidly. Shining at mag. –1.8, Jupiter has a close encounter with brilliant Venus on 12 August.
On 20 August, Jupiter and Venus will be joined by a 10%-lit waning crescent Moon to form a distinctive morning triangle. By the end of the month, Jupiter manages to appear 23° above the eastern horizon before the onset of dawn.
Saturn
- Best time to see: 31 August, 02:40 BST (01:40 UT)
- Altitude: 35°
- Location: Pisces
- Direction: South
You won’t see much of the wonderful rings around Saturn’s globe this month, as they are still tilted edge-on to Earth, but on the plus side, Saturn is able to reach peak altitude under dark-sky conditions from the middle of the month onwards.
Shining at mag. +0.5 near the Circlet asterism in Pisces, Saturn is also close to Neptune. By the end of the month, the planet’s brightness will have increased slightly to mag. +0.3.
Uranus
- Best time to see: 31 August, 04:00 BST (03:00 UT)
- Altitude: 48°
- Location: Taurus
- Direction: Southeast
- Features: Colour, subtle atmospheric banding, moons
- Recommended equipment: 200mm or larger
Neptune
- Best time to see: 31 August, 02:40 BST (01:40 UT)
- Altitude: 36°
- Location: Pisces
- Direction: South
Neptune is just over a degree from Saturn currently and, like the ringed planet, is able to reach maximum altitude under true darkness from the middle of the month onwards.
If you are a practical observer or an astro imager, share your observing adventures and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
