March 30, 2025: The crescent moon returns to the evening sky. Look for the Old moon in the New moon’s arms when earthshine softly lights the lunar night.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:36 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:14 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
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VENUS AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
New Moon in the Old Moon’s Arms
The crescent moon returns to the evening sky in this new lunation. At this season, the ecliptic makes a sharp angle with the western horizon after sunset so that the lunar crescent is nearly horizontal.
Sunlight reflects from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and continents to softly light the lunar night – the old moon . This gentle light is commonly known as earthshine. The crescent is the New moon. We see the Old moon in the New moon’s arms – represented by the lunar crescent.
Photograph earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera and exposures up to a few seconds. A phone’s camera, if held steadily, can capture the scene.
Here’s What to See
Step outside an hour after sundown, here’s what to see:
- March 30: The lunar crescent, 4% illuminated, is nearly 10° up in the west-northwest. Hamal, Aries’ brightest star, is about 10° to the moon’s upper right. Find a clear horizon looking in the moon’s direction.
- March 31: Perhaps the best night that describes the theme of the crescent moon and earthshine. Over 20° up in the west, the lunar crescent, 10% illuminated, is over 10° to Hamal’s upper left and less than 15° to the Pleiades’ lower right, a star cluster that resembles a tiny dipper.
- April 1: A spectacular night with the lunar crescent, 18% illuminated, standing 1.9° above the Pleiades star cluster. The scene is about 40° up in the west. The view is spectacular through a binocular. Photograph the moon with the star cluster. The moon occults stars in the cluster from Europe and northwest Africa during the early evening. This occurs during daylight from the Americas.
The moon returns to the western evening sky, displaying the Old moon in the New moon’s arms. Look for it each clear evening and photograph the event, especially the moon and the Pleiades star cluster.
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