January 24-26, 2026: Watch the evening moon grow brighter as it reaches First Quarter and moves eastward toward a close approach to the Pleiades, with nightly viewing guides.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
The evening moon waxes — grows in phase and appears farther eastward each night. It approaches and passes Aries on its way toward a close appearance with Pleiades star cluster on the 27th. As the moon brightens, it easily illuminates the ground and casts shadows.
The moon reaches the First Quarter phase on the 25th at 10:47 p.m. CST, when it sets after midnight. This lighting pattern occurs when the day–night line, known as the terminator, appears straight. Before this phase, the line is concave. Afterward, the moon becomes gibbous, when the terminator is convex.
With a binocular or spotting scope, investigate the region along the terminator where the sun is rising on the lunar surface. Long shadows reveal mountains and the bowl-shaped interiors of craters.
Highlights
Here’s what to see on these three evenings:
January 24: The thick crescent moon, 36% illuminated, is in front of Pisces, nearly 55° above the southwest horizon. It is over 20° to Saturn’s upper left and about 20° to Hamal’s lower right, Aries’ brightest star. In this moonlight, a binocular might be needed to see the star.
January 25: On the evening of the First Quarter moon, it is high in the south-southwest, 7.8° to Hamal’s lower right. Use a binocular.
January 26: The slightly gibbous moon, 59% illuminated, is nearly 70° above the south-southeast horizon. It is 10.9° to Hamal’s upper left and 13.5° to the Pleiades star cluster’s right.
Follow the moon’s eastward trek as it passes through the First Quarter phase and toward a close conjunction with the Pleiades star cluster.
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