April 20-24, 2025: The waning moon approaches brilliant Venus during morning twilight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
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Venus Summary Article
VENUS AS A MORNING STAR, 2025
Venus and Morning Moon
As the morning moon wanes, it approaches and appears with the brilliant Morning Star.
Venus is brightest on the morning of the 22nd, exhibiting a morning crescent phase which is 22% illuminated.
Additionally, dimmer Saturn is emerging from bright morning twilight, though it is a challenging view. Use a binocular to attempt to see it to Venus’ lower right.
Here’s What to See
Here’s what to look for at 45 minutes before daybreak on these five mornings:
- April 20: The waning crescent moon, 57% illuminated, is nearly 20° above the south-southeast horizon, 63° to Venus’ upper right. The Morning Star is nearly 10° above the eastern horizon and easily visible with a clear view in that direction. The Last Quarter phase occurs at 8:36 p.m. Central Time before it rises in the Americas.
- April 21: The thick crescent moon, 46% illuminated, is over 15° up in the southeast, 50° to the upper right of brilliant Venus.
- April 22: Venus is brightest this morning, known as greatest brilliancy. Rising 105 minutes before sunrise, the planet is nearly 10° above the eastern horizon and easily visible. The crescent moon, 36% illuminated, is nearly 15° above the southeast horizon, 37° to Venus’ upper right.
- April 23: Over 10° up in the east-southeast, the crescent moon, 25% illuminated, is 24° to Venus’ upper right. Look for earthshine on the moon’s night side—sunlight reflected from Earth gently illuminates the lunar landscape. Capture the effect with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady hand-held phone using exposures of up to a few seconds.
- April 24: The crescent moon, 16% illuminated, is less than 10° above the east-southeast horizon, 10° to the right of Venus. Look again for earthshine.
Tomorrow’s Preview
Tomorrow, Venus, Saturn, and the crescent moon appear in the same binocular field of view. Set an alarm to look for the display. Find a clear sight line looking eastward.
Watch the morning moon approach the brilliant Morning Star.
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