October 24-28, 2025: The crescent moon returns to the evening sky. Watch earthshine and the moon’s nightly motion through Scorpius and Sagittarius as its phase grows toward First Quarter.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
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The Crescent Moon Returns to the Evening Sky
The crescent moon returns to the evening sky on October 24. This reappearance is delayed by the low angle the plane of the solar system (the ecliptic) makes with the western horizon.
During spring, the moon returns quickly to the western sky after the New phase, though this autumn return occurs nearly 3.5 days after the new lunation.
Earthshine
Until the moon is about 30% illuminated, look for earthshine on the moon’s night portion — sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night. Photograph the effect with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady smartphone camera using exposures up to a few seconds.
Here’s What to See 45 Minutes after Sunset
- October 24: The crescent moon, 10% illuminated, is very low in the southwest. Find a clear sight line toward that direction. The Scorpion’s brightest star, Antares, is 1.6° above the lunar orb. A binocular helps with the view. Scorpius is disappearing into evening twilight. Take your last look at these stars until they reappear in the southeast during late December.
- October 25: The moon, 17% illuminated, is about 10° up in the southwest, 11° to Antares’ upper left, and nearly 9° to the upper right of Shaula and Lesath, the Scorpion’s stinger, 5° up in the south-southwest. Use a binocular to see them.
- October 26: This evening the moon, 25% illuminated, is in front of Sagittarius, nearly between Alnasl (“the point of the arrow”) and Kaus Media (“the middle part of the bow”), indicating their connection to the Archer.
- October 27: The moon, 34% illuminated, is left of a line from Nunki (“the yoke of the sea”) to Ascella (“the Archer’s armpit”). Use a binocular to spot the moon near Tau Sagittarii (τ Sgr). Some sky watchers see the moon cover the star.
- October 28: The moon, 43% illuminated, is nearly 25° above the southern horizon. It reaches the evening half phase (First Quarter) at 11:21 a.m. Central Time, before it rises for the Americas.
Watch the moon’s delayed return to the evening sky in the southwest, and follow its eastward motion each night as its phase grows.
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