March 9-11, 2026: Before sunrise, the waning moon crosses in front of Scorpius near Antares, the brightest star.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
The morning moon, passing through Last Quarter phase, moves eastward across Scorpius.
Scorpius in South
Scorpius closely resembles the Scorpion it represents. One hour before sunrise, red-orange Antares, the constellation’s brightest star, is about 20° above the southern horizon. Dschubba — the forehead or crown and the middle star in a short vertical line of three — is to Antares’ upper right. From Antares, the Scorpion’s body curves downward to the lower left, forming a fishhook shape that ends at Shaula and Lesath at the tip and stinger.
A clear horizon and a binocular are needed to see Sargas, sometimes translated as “ruler,” near the bottom of the tail. It is the last bright star in the constellation to appear. Dschubba first becomes visible in morning twilight around the winter solstice.
The late-winter morning sky resembles the evening sky before mid-summer, when Scorpius is again low in the southern sky.
Morning Moon Highlights
During these three mornings, the waning moon passes through Scorpius. Here is what to see:
• March 9: The bright gibbous moon, 68% illuminated, is over 20° above the south-southwest horizon, 6.5° to the lower right of Dschubba and over 10° to the right of Antares.
• March 10: Nearing the half-full phase, the 59% illuminated moon is 1.2° below Antares. The moon occults the star in southernmost Polynesia.
• March 11: The moon reaches Last Quarter phase at 4:38 a.m. CDT. One hour before sunrise, it is over 10° to the lower left of Antares and more than 8° above Shaula and Lesath.
Look for the moon as it passes the bright stars of Scorpius.
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