February 19-21, 2026: The waxing crescent moon appears higher and brighter each evening. Learn when and where to look after sunset and how the moon’s eastward motion shapes its appearance.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Evening Moon
The moon passed through the New moon phase on the 17, signaling a new lunation and the Lunar New Year. Moving farther eastward, the lunar orb has reappeared in the western evening sky. Its illuminated portion grows nightly, one of the features of a waxing moon.
Until the moon reaches about 30% illumination, earthshine is visible on the moon’s night portion. The effect is sunlight reflected from Earth’s clouds, oceans, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night. From the moon, Earth’s phase is nearly full, providing the light that outlines the unlit hemisphere.
Photograph earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Exposures of a few seconds overexpose the lunar crescent to capture earthshine.
Highlights
Here’s what to see 45 minutes after sunset:
February 19: The waxing crescent, 7% illuminated, is about 15° above the west horizon. The crescent is delicate and low, requiring a clear horizon. Saturn is 4.4° to the crescent’s lower left.
February 20: The waxing crescent moon, 14% illuminated, is nearly 30° above the west-southwest horizon. The crescent is nearly 16° above Saturn and nearly 25° below Hamal, Aries’ brightest star.
February 21: The 23% illuminated lunar crescent is nearly 45° above the west-southwest horizon and 10° to Hamal’s lower left.
Watch the moon appear higher in the sky each night as the moon waxes.
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