April 28-30, 2025: The evening crescent moon passes in front of Taurus and meets Jupiter. Look westward after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
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Moon Enters Evening Sky
The moon’s new lunation began yesterday at 2:31 p.m. Central time. This cycle of phases is number 1266, the number of lunations since the count began on January 17, 1923.
Step outside an hour after sunset and look westward. The bright winter stars are near the western horizon. Jupiter outshines all other stars in the sky. It is nearly 25° up in the west, below Taurus’ horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri.
The Highlights
Here’s what to see:
- April 28: Jupiter gleams in the western sky. It is 5.9° to Elnath’s lower left and 4.6° to Zeta Tauri’s lower right. Find a clear horizon toward the west-northwest. The whisker-thin waxing crescent moon, 2% illuminated, is only 5° above the horizon. The crescent can be seen 15 minutes earlier when it is slightly higher. The crescent is 4.2° to the lower right of the Pleiades star cluster. The moon and the stellar bundle easily fit in to the same binocular field.
- April 29: Tonight, the moon is higher, nearly 20° above the western horizon. The phase is 7% illuminated and for the next few evenings look for earthshine, reflected sunlight that softly lights the lunar night. Photograph it with exposures up to a few seconds. The crescent is nearly 10° to the upper right of the Pleiades, although they are too far apart to fit into the same binocular field. The lunar orb is 10.0° to Aldebaran’s upper right, Taurus’ brightest star, and over 11° to Jupiter’s lower right.
- April 30: The lunar crescent, 15% illuminated and nicely displaying earthshine, it over 30° above the western horizon and 6.9° to Jupiter’s upper right. Look for Elnath, 3.0° to the moon’s lower right. During daytime across most of the Americas, the moon occults or eclipses Elnath. This is visible from northeastern South America and parts of the eastern Caribbean.
Watch the moon return to the evening sky, passing Jupiter and brighter stars in Taurus.
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