May 23: Moon, Venus, and Saturn in Planetary Alignment

See the Alignment Before Sunrise

Skywatchers around the world will be treated to a mini “planet parade” on May 23, 2025—if we can get ourselves up early enough.

The planet alignment will be visible in the hours before sunrise. Looking east, three bodies will rise above the horizon: Saturn, a thin Crescent Moon, and Venus. The Moon and Venus are the brightest objects in the night sky; Saturn is fainter.

You can use our Night Sky Tonight tool to check the times for your location: click the calendar to select the date, and the magnifying glass to select an object. Then drag the marker back and forth along the timeline to find the best viewing time before dawn.

Tip: Be careful you have the right date! This is a “Night Sky” tool, so the timeline runs from midday to midday (across two dates), not midnight to midnight.

The Sky Tonight

Find and track the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars.

From an Airless Rocky Body to a Gas Giant

If the skies aren’t too cloudy and we have a clear view in the eastern direction, stargazers can look upon three very different worlds.

The Moon is our closest cosmic neighbor. It’s an airless, rocky body, and its surface is covered with asteroid impact craters and dark “seas” that are actually large and ancient plains of lava.

Venus is often called our twin planet because its size and structure is similar to Earth’s. But Venus is shrouded in thick clouds of sulphuric acid—which is why it shines so brightly.

Saturn is famous for being the ringed planet, although its rings were not discovered until the invention of the telescope in the 17th century. It is the second biggest planet in the solar system after Jupiter; like Jupiter, it’s a gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium.