| Night Time: | 14 hours |
|---|---|
| Sunset: | Dec 17 at 5:16 pm |
| End of Twilight*: | Dec 17 at 6:14 pm |
| Start of Twilight*: | Dec 18 at 6:18 am |
| Sunrise: | Dec 18 at 7:16 am |
Comet Watch: Latest News as 3I/ATLAS Nears Earth
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth on December 19. We caught up with the team at the Institute of Astrophysics in Santiago, Chile.
Our Interactive Night Sky Map simulates the sky above West Mountain. The Moon and planets have been enlarged slightly for clarity. On mobile devices, tap to steer the map by pointing your device at the sky. Need some help?
Tonight's Sky in West Mountain, Dec 17 – Dec 18, 2025
Mercury rise and set in West Mountain
Fairly close to the Sun. Visible only before sunrise and/or after sunset.
Mercury is just 19 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see.
Thu, Dec 18 ↑5:50 am
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Venus rise and set in West Mountain
Fairly close to the Sun. Visible only before sunrise and/or after sunset.
Venus is just 5 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see. Venus is visible by day, but may be hard to find.
Thu, Dec 18 ↑6:56 am
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Mars rise and set in West Mountain
Very close to Sun, hard or impossible to see.
Mars is just 6 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult or impossible to see it.
Wed, Dec 17 ↓5:37 pm
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Jupiter rise and set in West Mountain
Most of the night until sunrise.
Jupiter is visible during most of the night, but it is best viewed in the early morning hours and until sunrise.
Wed, Dec 17 ↑7:09 pm
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Saturn rise and set in West Mountain
View after sunset.
Saturn can be seen for more than 6 hours after sunset and during the late evening/early night.
Thu, Dec 18 ↓12:11 am
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Uranus rise and set in West Mountain
After sunset and most of the night. Bring binoculars.
Uranus is visible during most of the night, but it is best viewed in the late evening hours after sunset. You may need binoculars.
Thu, Dec 18 ↓5:10 am
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Neptune rise and set in West Mountain
View after sunset. Use binoculars.
Neptune can be seen for more than 7 hours after sunset and during the late evening/early night. Very faint, use binoculars.
Thu, Dec 18 ↓12:29 am
Time:
Altitude: °
Direction: °
Planets Visible in West Mountain
| Planetrise/Planetset, Wed, Dec 17, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet | Rise | Set | Meridian | Comment |
| Mercury | Thu 5:50 am | Thu 4:05 pm | Thu 10:58 am | Slightly difficult to see |
| Venus | Thu 6:56 am | Thu 4:56 pm | Thu 11:56 am | Slightly difficult to see |
| Mars | Wed 7:45 am | Wed 5:37 pm | Wed 12:41 pm | Extremely difficult to see |
| Jupiter | Wed 7:09 pm | Thu 9:11 am | Thu 2:10 am | Perfect visibility |
| Saturn | Wed 12:27 pm | Thu 12:11 am | Wed 6:19 pm | Great visibility |
| Uranus | Wed 3:21 pm | Thu 5:10 am | Wed 10:16 pm | Average visibility |
| Neptune | Wed 12:34 pm | Thu 12:29 am | Wed 6:31 pm | Difficult to see |
