A beautiful crescent moon appears above Venus in the morning sky before sunrise on October 13, 2020.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Look eastward on the morning of October 13 for a beautiful crescent moon above brilliant Venus.
The chart above shows the pair along with the star Regulus (in Leo) about an hour before sunrise.
Venus rises at about 4 a.m. local time, about 3 hours before sunrise. The moon rises about an hour earlier than Venus. As morning twilight begins, the moon, Venus and the starry background rise higher into the sky.
See our summary about Venus during October 2020 and the feature article about Venus as a Morning Star.
If the sky is exceptionally clear, it might be easy to follow Venus and the moon in the eastern sky after sunrise.
On the accompanying chart, the moon is 26.0 days past the New moon phase and 16% illuminated. The lunar crescent is 8.8° above Venus and 5.9° to the lower left of Regulus.
Photographers can capture “earthshine” on the night portion of the moon with time exposures of a few seconds or more, along with the hues of twilight.
Find the moon and Venus tomorrow (October 14, 2020).
Read more about the planets during October.
2021, April 25: Mercury-Venus Conjunction, Mars, Bright Moon
April 25, 2021: Mercury passes Evening Star Venus this evening after sunset. Look low in the western sky about 20 minutes after sunset. Mars is marching eastward in Gemini, near the star cluster Messier 35. The bright moon is near Spica.
2021, April 25: Morning Planets, Jupiter, Saturn in Southeast
April 25, 2021: Morning planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise. Jupiter is in front of the stars of Aquarius, while Saturn’s starry background is Capricornus.
2021, April 24: Evening Star, Bright Mercury, Venus, Mars, Gibbous Moon
April 24, 2021: Brilliant Evening Star Venus and bright Mercury are entering the evening sky. They are low in the west-northwest during evening twilight. The bright moon is in the southeast in Virgo. Mars moves into Gemini as it approaches the star cluster Messier 35.
2021, April 24: Lunar Occultation, Morning Planets, Jupiter Saturn
April 24, 2021: The bright gibbous moon is near a star in Virgo during the early morning. From parts of the Western Hemisphere, the moon covers the star. Before sunrise, bright morning planets, Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise.
2021, April 23: Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars, Moon
April 23, 2021: Evening Star Venus and Mercury are entering the evening sky. They are found very low in the west-northwest after sunset. The bright moon is in the southeastern sky during the early evening. Mars is moving toward the star cluster Messier 35.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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