February 2025 – Events and Planet Finder Charts

Use the finder charts on this page to guide you to where to look for the planets in February 2025.

Don’t have a telescope to look at the planets or Moon? Remember you can contact your local astronomical society about holding a telescope viewing session for your school, youth group or other organisation.

A few pointers:

  • Unless otherwise noted, the finder charts are prepared for Sydney, NSW. The charts will be useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia.
  • All planets visible to the unaided eye look like stars. Planets visible to the unaided eye include Mercury, Venus, Earth (look down!), Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
  • Planet visibility in 2025
    • TimeandDate.com will generate customised visiblity information for your location. Just make sure you specify where you are.
    • You can download planet rise and set times for different Australian capital cities from Quasar Publishing’s site.
  • In a telescope, Uranus and Neptune are visible as tiny discs. The minor planet Pluto remains looking like a star in even the largest amateur telescope.
  • Stars are shown to magnitude 5 on the charts unless otherwise noted. This is a compromise between what you would see from the light polluted skies of a city (where you will see significantly less stars) and dark country skies (where you will see significantly more stars).
  • Planet finder charts usually focus on when the Moon is next to a particular planet. That lets beginning astronomers use the Moon as a ‘signpost’ to find that particular planet.

31 January to 13 February 2025 – Record the changing appearance of the Moon – Evening twilight sky

An easy but rewarding observing activity is to record the changing appearance of the Moon between New Moon and Full Moon. If you observe it at the same time each evening (end of evening twilight), you will notice that the Moon moves from the West to the East. This movement demonstrates the Moon’s movement in it’s orbit around the Earth. Download the recording chart.

Download the full resolution version of the recording chart.

1 & 2 February 2025 – Moon, Venus and Saturn – End of evening twilight

Moon, Venus and Saturn finder chart. Venus will appear like a brilliant white star to the unaided eye. Chart prepared for 9.15 pm AEDT on 1 & 2 February 2025 for #Sydney NSW (but will be also useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia).

6 & 7 February 2025 – Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran – End of evening twilight

Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran finder chart. Jupiter will appear like a bright white star to the unaided eye. Chart prepared for 9.15 pm AEDT on 6 & 7 February 2025 for #Sydney NSW (but will be also useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia).

9 & 10 February 2025 – Moon, Mars, Castor and Pollux – End of evening twilight

Moon, Mars, Castor and Pollux (the brightest stars in the ancient Greek constellation Gemini ‘The Twins’) finder chart. Mars will appear like a moderately bright orangish star to the unaided eye. Chart prepared for 9.15 pm AEDT on 9 & 10 March 2025 for #Sydney NSW (but will be also useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia).