The Sky Today on Wednesday, September 10: Venus moves into Leo

Venus has moved from Cancer to Leo, now heading toward the Lion’s heart for a close meeting later this month.
By | Published: September 10, 2025

Venus, now in Leo, shines brightly to the far upper right of Regulus. Visible at left, with Regulus serving as the base of its handle, is the Sickle asterism. Credit: Stellarium
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Venus, currently traversing Leo, rises around 4:00 A.M. local daylight time (LDT) at 40° N 90° W, preceding sunrise at 6:36 A.M. LDT.
  • By 5:30 A.M. LDT, Venus reaches 15° altitude in the east, with Regulus (α Leonis), at approximately 1/3 the altitude of Venus, positioned to its lower left.
  • Regulus, a four-star system, is described; its brightest component (Regulus A) is a binary, and an easily observable 8th magnitude companion, itself a double star, is located approximately 175” northwest.
  • Venus and Regulus are currently separated by more than 11°, with a projected closer conjunction within one degree of Regulus in approximately one week, including the Moon.
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store

Venus, currently moving east through the sky, has now passed from Cancer into Leo and rises within the domain of the Lion around 4 A.M. local daylight time, more than two hours before the Sun. Around 5:30 A.M. local daylight time, Venus has reached 15° high in the east and has been followed into the sky by magnitude 1.4 Regulus, which stands about ⅓ as high above the horizon to Venus’ lower left. Regulus is Leo’s bright alpha star, often envisioned as the heart of the Lion. And like a heart contains four chambers, Regulus is a four-star system. Bright Regulus A is a binary that cannot be visually split. The easiest companion to spot lies some 175” (nearly 3’) away to the northwest and glows softly at 8th magnitude. This star is itself a double, with components separated by just 2.5” (and the fainter of which is magnitude 13.5). 

Regulus and Venus are more than 11° apart this morning, but that will quickly change. In just over a week, Venus and the Moon will stand in line with Regulus, both within 1° of the star. We’ll definitely check back then!  

Sunrise: 6:36 A.M.
Sunset: 7:17 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:42 P.M.
Moonset: 10:01 A.M. 
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (88%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.

For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column. 

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