December 13-15, 2025: Before sunrise, the crescent moon moves eastward past Spica in the south-southeast. Look for a pretty conjunction and earthshine.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Moon and Spica
Step outside an hour before sunrise and look toward the south-southeast. The crescent moon and Spica are there. Blue-white Spica is the 10th brightest star for sky watchers at the mid-northern latitudes. Shining from a distance of about 250 light years, it radiates with the intensity of nearly 2,000 suns.
Spica is 2° below the ecliptic. The moon and planets regular pass closely to the star. At this season it appears over 30° above the south-southeast horizon during early morning twilight.
Earthshine
As the moon appears farther eastward each morning, the crescent thins and earthshine – sunlight reflected from Earth’s clouds, oceans, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night – becomes easier to see and capture in photographs. Whether using a tripod-mounted camera or a steady phone, exposures up to a few seconds reveal the gentle glow on the moon’s night portion.
Highlights
Here is what to see:
• December 13: The lunar crescent, 34% illuminated, is 40° up in the south-southeast and 13° to Spica’s upper right.
• December 14: The waning crescent, 25% illuminated, is over 30° above the south-southeast horizon and 2.2° to Spica’s lower right. This is a pretty conjunction. Do not miss it.
• December 15: The crescent, 17% lit, is nearly 25° up in the southeast and over 10° to Spica’s lower left. A nice earthshine morning.
After this sequence with Spica, the moon wanes further and appears low in the east-southeast with Mercury on the 17th.
Look for the moon and its pretty conjunction with Spica as it wanes during its eastward motion.
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