November 12-14, 2025: After passing Jupiter, the morning moon crosses in front of Leo, the westward-facing Lion. Watch the lunar orb step eastward past Regulus, Rho Leonis, and Denebola. Each morning the moon wanes and appears farther eastward in the southern sky before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Moon and Leo
After passing Jupiter as it begins to retrograde, the morning moon crosses in front of Leo. Showing its Last Quarter phase several minutes before midnight Central Time on the 11th, the lunar orb appears high in the southern sky during morning twilight.
Leo is easy to identify. The westward-facing Lion is seen in silhouette, with its head to the right (west) and tail extending eastward.
Its brightest star, Regulus, is the brightest star closest to the ecliptic — the plane of the solar system. Regulus marks the bottom of a question mark–shaped pattern of half a dozen stars known as the Sickle of Leo, representing an agricultural cutting tool. The Lion’s haunches and tail, ending with Denebola, are outlined by a triangle.
The moon passes Regulus each month, and the planets occasionally pass closely as well. Rho Leonis (ρ Leo), considerably dimmer than Regulus, is to the bright star’s lower left and serves as a another celestial landmark along the planets’ pathway.
Morning Moon and Leo
Step outside an hour before sunrise and look for the moon high in the south.
- November 12: The thick crescent moon, 47% illuminated, is high in the south-southeast, 6.6° to the upper right of Regulus. Later today, the moon occults (eclipses) the star for skywatchers in Alaska, and northern Russia, China, and Greenland.
- November 13: The waning crescent moon, 37% illuminated, is over halfway up in the southeast, 6.4° to Regulus’ lower left and 0.4° to the lower right of Rho Leonis. The moon occults the star from northern Canada. Use a binocular to see the star with the lunar orb.
- November 14: The waning moon, 28% illuminated, is less than halfway up in the southeast, 19° to Regulus’ lower left, 13° to Denebola’s lower right, and 8° to the upper right of Zavijava (Beta Virginis).
Watch the moon’s changing location. During these three mornings, it steps eastward as it wanes.
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