January 20-23, 2026: The waxing crescent moon climbs higher after sunset in late January, offering prime evenings to see and photograph earthshine as the moon passes Saturn.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
After the New Moon on January 18, the crescent moon returns to the early evening southwestern sky. The waxing moon appears higher each night as the crescent widens, approaching and then passing Saturn. This is the most favorable week of the month to see earthshine after sunset.
The changing evening moon provides opportunities to observe and photograph earthshine — sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night. Capture the scene with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady handheld smartphone camera. Exposures up to a few seconds overexpose the crescent while recording earthshine.
The image at the top of this article resembles the moon on January 21. The exposure details for the digital image are 5 seconds, 140 mm, f/5.6, ISO 100.
Here’s What to See
Here are the details at 45 minutes after sunset:
- January 20: The whisker-thin crescent moon, 4% illuminated, is over 10° above the southwest horizon. Because of its altitude — height above the horizon — find a view without obstructions. Use a binocular to spot Deneb Algedi (Delta Capricorni), 1.7° below the moon.
- January 21: The moon, 10% illuminated, is nearly 25° above the southwest horizon. This is a favorable evening to photograph the moon and earthshine.
- January 22: The moon, 17% illuminated, is nearly 35° above the southwest horizon and 6.8° to Saturn’s lower right. While Saturn is not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, photograph the moon with earthshine near the planet.
- January 23: The waxing crescent moon, 26% illuminated, is halfway from the southwest horizon to overhead and 8.4° to Saturn’s upper left. Look carefully for moonlight casting shadows on the ground.
After sunset at this season, the ecliptic — the solar system’s plane — makes a steep angle with the southwest horizon. The evening moon appears higher in the western sky compared to waxing crescents during August, September, and October, when the lunar orb remained close to the horizon.
During the next several evenings, look for the moon with earthshine and photograph the scene.
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