January 10-12, 2026: Watch the Last Quarter Moon pass Spica before sunrise. See precise positions, angular separations, and where to look each morning.
By Jeffrey L. Hunt
Morning Moon and Spica
The morning half moon (Last Quarter) passes Spica in the southern sky before sunrise. The phase occurs on the 10th at 9:58 a.m. Central Time.
Spica is Virgo’s brightest star. Shining with the brightness of nearly 2,000 suns, it is about 250 light years away. It is the 10th brightest star visible from the mid-northern latitudes.
After the moon passes Spica, it moves toward Zubenelgenubi, part of Libra, although its name is translated as the Scorpion’s northern claw, from its early association with Scorpius. This star is about the same brightness as the Big Dipper’s stars.
Highlights
Here’s what to see an hour before sunrise.
• January 10: The Last Quarter Moon is less than halfway from the south-southwest horizon to overhead. It is 5.7° to Spica’s lower right.
• January 11: The thick crescent moon, 42% illuminated, is over 30° up in the south, 7.2° to Spica’s lower left and over 15° to the right of Zubenelgenubi.
• January 12: The crescent moon, 33% illuminated, is less than one-third of the way from the south-southeast horizon to overhead, 6.1° to the lower right of Zubenelgenubi and 19° to Spica’s lower left.
Look for the moon each clear morning and watch it appear farther eastward as the lunar orb wanes.
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