March 20, 2026: The spring equinox arrives today. After sunset, look west for a thin crescent moon glowing with earthshine near brilliant Venus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:54 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:03 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Vernal Equinox
The vernal, or spring, equinox occurs today and a special seasonal moon display appears this evening.
The sun shines directly on Earth’s equator at 9:46 a.m. Central Time, signaling the beginning of astronomical spring across the Northern Hemisphere. The sun rises and sets farther northward along the horizon until June 21.
Because the definitions of sunrise and sunset include atmospheric refraction, daylight lasts 12 hours, 9 minutes at Chicago’s latitude.
The sun’s apparent annual north–south motion is caused by Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5°. Its total path covers 47° of latitude.
Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arms
This evening the crescent Moon shows an annual spring display with the thin crescent near the bottom of the lunar disk and earthshine above it. Near the spring equinox the ecliptic is steeply inclined to the western horizon after sunset, placing the thin crescent low on the lunar globe.
The horns, or cusps, of the evening crescent nearly point upward at the mid-northern latitudes of North America and Europe, resembling a boat. Others see one human arm folded across the other.
The folded arms of the crescent appear to be holding the old moon. The appearance is sometimes called “The Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arms.” Tomorrow evening the moon is thicker, continuing the effect for another night.
At 45 minutes after sunset, the lunar crescent is 15° above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus is less than 10° to the crescent’s lower left.
Earthshine
Earthshine on the moon — sunlight reflected by Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land — gently lights the lunar night, revealing the faintly visible old moon from the previous lunar cycle. This dim glow allows sky watchers to see the remainder of the lunar globe.
Photograph this crescent moon and earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Use exposures of up to several seconds to capture the softly lit lunar night.
The equinox occurs today. After sunset, look west for the thin crescent moon and brilliant Venus.
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