Jupiter appears close to the Moon during the nights of 5 – 8 February 2025, the Moon tracking eastward night after night towards an encounter with Mars on 9 February.
2-25 has been great year for naked-eye planets so far, with Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn grabbing our attention in the evening sky and causing many to ask "what's that bright star next to the Moon".
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Venus near the crescent Moon is always wonderful, because Venus emerges in the evening twilight as the brightest 'star' in the sky (even though, of course, it's a planet).
So it looks particularly eye-catching when positioned next to a crescent Moon.
But this week it's Jupiter's turn, the gas giant planet sitting close to a beautiful gibbous Moon from 5–8 February 2025.
Jupiter and the Moon in February 2025
Jupiter is visible high in the southeast as the sky grows dark around 18:30 UTC.
It's fairly easy to spot because it appears like a bright star in the sky above the constellation Orion.
The planet is to the left of the Hyades open star cluster, which looks like a 'V' shape lying on its side.
Find the Hyades by looking out for the bright red star Aldebaran in Taurus, then use a pair of binoculars to explore the cluster's pointed shape.
Below we'll detail what's happening between Jupiter and the bright gibbous Moon this week.
It's worth pointing out that it's the Moon that more obviously changes its apparent position in the sky night after night, not Jupiter.
Jupiter largely stays in the same position near the Hyades cluster over the coming nights.
But since the Moon is the bigger, brighter, more obvious of the two, we'll talk about where Jupiter is located relative to the Moon.
Night by night
On 5 February 2025, both Jupiter and the Moon are in the southwestern sky around 21:00 UTC. Jupiter is to the left of the Moon.
By 6 February, Jupiter is much closer to the Moon, again both in the southwestern sky around 21:00 UTC, but Jupiter now below and to the left of the Moon.
And on 7 January, Jupiter is below and to the right of the Moon.
By 8 February, Jupiter is again below and to the right of the Moon, but the two are much further apart.
If you observe the Moon on the nights mentioned above, you'll notice its changing position relative to the rest of the sky.
Night after night, the Moon is tracking eastwards towards Mars, ready for a close encounter with the Red Planet on 9 February, which is sure to look spectacular.
And the Moon's phase is increasing night after night, too, ahead of the February full Moon – known as the Snow Moon – rising on 12 February.
If you've been observing or photographing the planets this year, get in touch by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
