September 14, 2025: The Last Quarter moon occults the star Elnath for parts of Mexico and the American Southwest during morning twilight. Elsewhere, watch Venus near Regulus, Jupiter in Gemini, and Saturn low in the west as the rare Venus–Moon–Regulus gathering approaches.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:30 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:01 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
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Morning Occultation
This morning the moon occults (eclipses) the star Elnath, also known as Beta Tauri, for sky watchers in Mexico and the American Southwest. In celestial artwork, this star disappears behind the moon’s bright limb (edge) during morning twilight and re-emerges after sunrise in the Central Time Zones. Its reemergence at the moon’s dark limb is visible farther westward in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The star is hidden for about 30 minutes.
Here are some disappearance times for selected cities:
| City | Disappearance Time (local) |
| Acapulco | 5:26 a.m. |
| Mexico City | 5:28 a.m. |
| Austin | 6:45 a.m. |
| Albuquerque | 5:49 a.m. |
| Del Rio | 6:36 a.m. |
| Phoenix | 4:38 a.m. |
Before Sunrise
- For other sky watchers in the Americas, the moon appears very close to the star. At 45 minutes before sunrise, the Last Quarter moon is high in the southeast and near the star. With the moon’s brightness, a binocular might be required to see the star. The view may leave an afterimage in your vision, like the “spots” after a camera flash.
- This morning, Jupiter is about 30° to the moon’s lower left. Trekking eastward in front of Gemini, the Jovian Giant is 7.5° to Pollux’s lower right. As the moon hops eastward from morning to morning, it passes Jupiter in two mornings and joins Venus on the 19th for a compact, rare gathering with Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.
- Venus stands less than 20° above the eastern horizon and over 30° to Jupiter’s lower left. It is 6.4° to Regulus’ upper right.
- Look at the scene carefully. Jupiter is about midway from the morning half-full moon and Venus.
- This moonlight continues to wash out Uranus and Neptune. Begin looking for them when the moon wanes to a thin crescent.
- Farther westward, Saturn is about 15° above the west-southwest horizon. Next month, Saturn disappears behind the haze and blurring effects of the atmosphere, eventually setting before Venus rises. That leaves Venus, Jupiter and Uranus in the predawn sky.
After Sunset
- After superior conjunction yesterday, Mercury sets only a few minutes after the sun. It begins an evening apparition that is unfavorable for viewing.
- Mars sets about 70 minutes after sunset. In the starfield, it is near Spica, though the pair is not visible.
- Saturn, approaching its opposition with the sun, rises 20 minutes after sunset. Over 90 minutes later, it is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon. During the night it appears farther westward, crossing southern sky after midnight..
- The thick crescent moon rises around midnight.
Watch the moon approach and pass bright stars and planets in the eastern sky before sunrise, as the rare gathering of Venus, Moon, and Regulus approaches.
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