Stargazers within the U.S. will witness the razor-thin waning crescent moon rise near Venus and the brilliant star Regulus within the predawn sky on Sept. 19, whereas others will see the lunar disk cross instantly in entrance of the rocky planet, briefly occulting (or hiding) its mild.
Head out two hours earlier than daybreak on Sept. 19 to seek out the slender type of the 2%-lit moon rising low on the jap horizon with Venus seen as a brilliant morning star lower than 1 diploma beneath and Regulus — the brightest star within the constellation Leo — simply past. Keep in mind, the width of your little finger held at arms size equates to roughly 1 diploma within the evening sky.
Round this time, you could discover a refined glow illuminating the shadowed area of the lunar floor, revealing the huge basaltic plains often known as lunar maria, which fashioned billions of years in the past from historical lava flows. This phenomenon — known as Earthshine, or the Da Vinci glow — can solely be witnessed on nights surrounding a new moon section, when the lunar disk is properly positioned to wash in daylight mirrored from Earth‘s floor.
Jupiter could be discovered shining excessive above the jap horizon to the higher proper of the moon within the late evening hours of Sept. 19, embedded within the constellation Gemini with the brilliant stars Castor and Pollux twinkling to its left.
Stargazers within the U.S. will see the lunar disk drift nearer to Venus and Regulus as daybreak approaches. These viewing from Europe, Canada and Greenland, together with elements of Russia, Asia and Africa will witness the moon cross straight in entrance of Venus, briefly hiding it from view. The occasion — often known as an occultation — will start globally at 6:34 a.m. ET (1034 GMT) on Sept. 19 and can finish at 10:26 a.m. ET (1426 GMT) the identical day, in response to in-the-sky.
Stargazers hoping to get a better have a look at the constellations or planets of the photo voltaic system ought to learn our roundups of the finest binoculars and telescopes for viewing the evening sky.
Editor’s Observe: In the event you seize a picture of the moon with Venus with Area.com’s readers, then please ship your photograph(s), feedback, and your title and site to spacephotos@house.com.
