March 24, 2026: A waxing 41% illuminated moon appears near Elnath, the bright horn of Taurus. Look in the west-southwest about an hour after sunset. The moon and Beta Tauri easily fit in the same binocular field of view.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:47 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:07 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
This evening, the moon is near the Bull’s brighter horn, Elnath, also known as Beta Tauri. Step outside about an hour after sunset. The waxing moon, 41% illuminated, is high in the west-southwest. It is 1.8° to the upper left of the star. They easily fit in the same binocular field of view. The binocular is helpful for seeing the star beside the bright moon.
In celestial artwork, Taurus has very long horns. The moon passes near either Elnath or Zeta Tauri each month. As the moon moves toward the First Quarter phase, look for the moon beside Elnath tonight.
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