October 17-19, 2025: The moon approaches and makes its last easily-seen conjunction with Venus in the eastern predawn sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus and the Moon’s Final Morning Pairing
Venus and the moon make their final appearance together in the eastern sky before sunrise during this Venusian apparition. Their next pairing occurs during brighter morning twilight.
Venus has been the Morning Star since earlier this year. The planet steps eastward in front of Virgo, heading toward its superior conjunction early next year.
At 45 minutes before daybreak, Venus is low in the eastern sky, while the crescent moon appears above it.
With the moon in its crescent phase, look for earthshine—sunlight reflected from Earth’s clouds, oceans, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night. A tripod-mounted camera with exposures up to a few seconds or a steady smartphone can capture the scene.
Here’s What to See
- October 17: The crescent moon, 14% illuminated, is over one-third of the way from the east-southeast horizon to overhead, nearly 25° to Venus’ upper right.
- October 18: Only 8% illuminated, the moon is less than 25° above the east-southeast horizon and 13° to Venus’ upper right.
- October 19: The thin crescent, just 4% illuminated, is over 10° above the east-southeast horizon and 4.1° to Venus’ upper right.
They fit easily into the same binocular field and within the frame of a digital SLR camera with a 300 mm lens.
Watch each morning as the moon approaches Venus, culminating in their final conjunction on October 19.
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