Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also applies to northern hemisphere mid-northern latitudes). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: Feb. 3-9, 2025
We’re now exactly halfway between December’s winter solstice and the spring equinox in March — astronomical mid-winter — yet the Northern Hemisphere’s brightest stars continue to shine.
If you can take your eyes off constellations like Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:
Monday, Feb. 3: Waxing Crescent Moon, Venus And Saturn
As the sun sets, direct your gaze west-southwest; you’ll find a crescent moon, 35%-lit, gleaming brightly close to Venus, which will be above Saturn. Venus, Earth’s sister planet, will steal the show — it’s shining at magnitude -4.5 to Saturn’s +1.1. The contrast will get even more intense this month.
Tuesday, Feb. 4: First Quarter Moon
Today, it’s the first quarter moon, the half-lit phase of the moon’s orbit. It’s a confusing term — why “quarter” if it’s 50% lit? That’s because it’s a quarter of the way through its monthly journey around Earth, from new moon to new moon. From tonight through the full moon in a week, the moon is referred to as being in a “waxing gibbous” phase. Until now, since the new moon, it’s been a “waxing crescent.”
Wednesday, Feb. 5: Waxing Gibbous Moon And Pleiades
Tonight, a 57%-lit waxing gibbous moon will pass through the Pleiades, the nearest open star cluster to our solar system at 444 light-years away. That’s something the moon will do every single month in 2025.
Thursday, Feb. 6: Waxing Gibbous Moon and Jupiter
As darkness descends, cast your eyes to the southeast to spot a waxing gibbous moon that is 68%-lit, hovering over two radiant points of light. The one closest to the moon is Jupiter, shining at a magnitude of -2.5, while Aldebaran — the brightest star in the constellation Taurus — lies below it.
Sunday, Feb. 9: Waxing Gibbous Moon and Mars
As night falls, look toward the east, where a 93%-lit waxing gibbous moon will be positioned between the golden-hued Mars on its right and the bright star Pollux ‚the brightest star in the constellation Gemini — on its left.
The Phases Of Venus
Venus has been at dichotomy — less than 50%-lit, as seen from Earth — since early January. It’s not intuitive, but as Venus gets closer to Earth — as it is doing currently — it will be brighter as its phase decreases. By Feb. 14, it will seem a slim crescent but shine the brightest of its current apparition. Why? It will be much closer, and its global clouds will make it extremely reflective.
Venus does not follow an annual visibility pattern from Earth. Because it is an inner planet, it orbits the sun more swiftly than Earth — completing over 13 orbits for every eight by our planet. This results in a cycle of visibility that reoccurs every eight Earth years.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
