January 5-8, 2026: Watch the waning gibbous moon pass Leo during early January mornings. Use a binocular to trace the Lion’s shape and locate Regulus and Denebola before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Gibbous Moon and Leo
The moon, now at the waning gibbous phase, rises later each night and appears higher in the western sky before sunrise. The moon approaches and passes in front of Leo during these four mornings.
Leo is a westward-facing Lion. The shape is easy to discern, although bright moonlight washes out the dimmer stars. Use a binocular to trace the animal’s shape. The head is marked by a backward question mark, also known as the Sickle of Leo, named for the agricultural tool for cutting grain.
Blue-white Regulus, the Lion’s brightest star and the 15th brightest star visible from the mid-northern latitudes, is at the bottom of the shape. Shining from a distance of about 80 light years, it has the luminosity of nearly 150 suns. Regulus is the closest bright star to the ecliptic, and the moon and planets pass nearby regularly. In contrast, Denebola is over 12° above the ecliptic and out of range for close conjunctions.
To the east of the Sickle is a triangle that marks the Lion’s haunches. Denebola, the tail, is the easternmost bright star in the triangle and the constellation.
Here’s what to see during these four mornings, one hour before sunrise:
• January 5: The gibbous moon, 94% illuminated, is in front of Cancer, 30° above the west-southwest horizon. It is nearly 20° to the upper left of bright Jupiter and over 17° to Regulus’ lower right.
• January 6: The lunar orb, 88% illuminated, is over 35° above the west-southwest horizon and 3.2° to Regulus’ lower right. The moon occults (eclipses) the star sky watchers across Polynesia and large regions of Asia.
• January 7: The moon, 80% illuminated, is nearly 40° above the west-southwest horizon, 10.4° to Regulus’ upper left, and over 15° to Denebola’s lower right.
• January 8: Approaching Virgo, the moon, 71% illuminated, is over 40° above the southwest horizon. It is over 23° to Regulus’ upper left and 14° to Denebola’s lower left. The moon approaches Virgo’s Zavijava (Beta Virginis). The gap is 4.6°. This star is close to the pathway for the moon and planets, only 0.7° above the ecliptic. Use a binocular to see it this morning.
During morning twilight, use a binocular to trace Leo’s shape and watch the moon appear farther eastward each morning as it passes the celestial Lion.
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