October 15, 2025: Before sunrise, the crescent moon joins the Beehive star cluster in Cancer. Jupiter shines nearby, while the moon and cluster fit into the same binocular field of view.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:03 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:09 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Related Articles
Venus Summary Article
Moon and Beehive Star Cluster
This morning, the crescent moon appears with the Beehive star cluster in the same binocular field.
Step outside about an hour before sunrise. The crescent moon, 32% illuminated, is over halfway up in the east-southeast. The bright starlike body to the upper right is Jupiter.
Jupiter rambles eastward in front of Gemini, to the lower right of the Twins, Castor and Pollux.
The moon is more than halfway from Pollux to Leo’s Regulus, over 35° above the horizon.
The seemingly empty space between Pollux and Regulus is the constellation Cancer. On moonless nights from rural locations, a faint patch of stars, spanning a region wider than the moon, is visible in the middle of the constellation. This is the Beehive star cluster. From suburban areas, point a binocular midway from Pollux to Regulus. The cluster will be somewhere in the field of view.
Binocular View
This morning, the moon and the star cluster tightly fit into the same binocular field. Once you see the cluster, center it in the field. While not as prominent as the Pleiades, the Beehive contains a few hundred stars, though perhaps as many as one thousand. It has more yellow and orange stars compared to the Seven Sisters, and according to stellar models, thought to be older. Blue stars are thought to be younger than yellow and orange stars.
The Beehive is also known as Praesepe, the Manger. Two stars, Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, represent donkeys that stand nearby, reinforcing the name.
Each month until at least March 2026, the moon’s phase is too bright to easily view the cluster with it. Through a binocular, a bright moon creates a temporary afterimage, similar to a camera flash. Be sure to see this binocular view.
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, May 10-13: Moon–Saturn Conjunction, Crescent Moon Guides First Morning View of Saturn
May 10-13, 2026: On May 13, the crescent moon appears near Saturn before sunrise. Use the moon as a guide to find the Ringed Wonder low in the eastern sky. - 2026, May 9: Last Quarter Moon and Evening Planets, Venus Moves Between Taurus’ Horns Toward Jupiter
May 9, 2026: See the Last Quarter moon before sunrise and track Venus moving between Taurus’ horns as it closes in on Jupiter in the western evening sky. - 2026, May 8: Double Moon Shadows on Jupiter: Venus Shines Nearby in Tonight’s Evening Sky
May 8, 2026: See the shadows of Europa and Ganymede crossing Jupiter’s cloud tops while brilliant Venus shines lower in the western sky after sunset. - 2026, May 7: Venus and Jupiter Dominate May Evenings While a Gibbous Moon Visits Sagittarius
May 7, 2026: Track Venus and Jupiter in the western sky after sundown and find the gibbous moon in front of Sagittarius before sunrise during May evenings. - 2026, May 6: Spring Midpoint Sky: Gibbous Moon with Sagittarius, Venus and Jupiter After Sunset
May 6, 2026: At spring’s midpoint, find the gibbous moon with Sagittarius before sunrise and track Venus overtaking Jupiter in the western evening sky.