January 13-15, 2026: Before sunrise, a thinning crescent moon passes Antares in the southeastern sky. Earthshine, precise separations, and daily changes are detailed.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Before sunrise, the crescent moon passes Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star, in the southeastern sky.
As the moon wanes and the crescent thins, earthshine is easily visible and photographed with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady smartphone camera. The effect is from sunlight reflected from Earth’s features, lighting up the lunar night. If the exposure is a few seconds or longer, the crescent is overexposed, but the moon’s night side is gently illuminated.
The Highlights
Here is what to see each morning at one hour before sunrise:
Reddish Antares is over 10° above the southeast horizon. The Scorpion’s claws reach eastward, while Dschubba, the head, is nearly 8° to the upper right.
• January 13: The crescent moon, 24% illuminated, is over 20° above the south-southeast horizon, about twice Antares’ altitude—height above the horizon—and 8.8° to Dschubba’s upper right. This morning, the crescent is in front of Libra.
• January 14: The crescent moon, 16% illuminated, is nearly 15° above the south-southeast horizon and 3.5° to Antares’ upper right. The moon occults this star for sky watchers at extremely southern latitudes.
• January 15: The 10% illuminated crescent is less than 10° above the southeast horizon and less than 10° to Antares’ lower left. The moon is in front of Ophiuchus this morning.
Look for the crescent moon as it approaches and passes Antares in the predawn sky.
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