March 22-24, 2026: Look west after sunset to see the crescent moon pass the Pleiades and Aldebaran in Taurus. Uranus is also in the binocular field.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Crescent Moon, Taurus after Sunset
After sunset during the next few evenings, the crescent Moon passes Taurus in the western sky.
Taurus is in the western sky during spring evenings. The constellation is fairly easy to recognize. Its brightest star, Aldebaran, is about halfway from the western horizon toward overhead. Its reddish color resembles Betelgeuse about 20° to the upper left.
Use a binocular to spot the Hyades, a widely spaced star cluster. Aldebaran and the stellar group form the “V” of Taurus, outlining the Bull’s head.
Higher in the sky are the Bull’s horns, the stars Elnath and Zeta Tauri above the head. The Pleiades star cluster rides on the Bull’s back in celestial artwork.
The Highlights
During the next few evenings, the moon passes the Bull. Here’s what to see:
One hour after sunset, step outside and look westward. The crescent moon is there.
• March 22: The moon, 20% illuminated, is less than halfway up in the west. The lunar crescent is 5.4° to the lower right of the Pleiades star cluster. Aldebaran is nearly 20° to the upper left. The moon, star cluster, and Uranus fit into the same binocular field of view.
Photograph earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Use exposures of one to several seconds to capture the softly illuminated lunar night. If Venus is visible, capture a wide-angle photograph with the planet near the western horizon below the crescent.
After midnight (March 23) in Alaska, the moon occults (eclipses) the star cluster. Across eastern Asia, the moon appears very close to the cluster and some locations see individual stars occulted.
• March 23: The 30% illuminated lunar crescent is over halfway up in the west, 10.4° to Aldebaran’s upper right.
• March 24: The thick lunar crescent, 41% illuminated, is high in the west-southwestern sky. Aldebaran is 1.8° to the moon’s lower right.
Look west after sunset for the crescent moon passing Taurus.
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