April 6, 2026: The 83% illuminated moon appears near Antares before sunrise. Use a binocular to locate Pi Scorpii, Al Niyat, and the globular cluster Messier 4 low in the south-southwest sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:25 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:22 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
Morning Moon near Antares
The bright moon is near the bright star Antares this morning.
Step outside an hour before daybreak. The bright moon, 83% illuminated, is low in the south-southwest, 5.0° to the lower right of Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star. The star Pi Scorpii (π Sco on the chart) is nearby.
Binocular View
Use a binocular to see the moon with Antares and Pi Scorpii. The stars fit tightly into the same standard binocular field along with the star Al Niyat and the star cluster Messier 4 (M4 on the chart), which appears to the right of Antares. Al Niyat’s name is frequently translated as “the artery,” because Antares represents the Scorpion’s heart in celestial artwork.
Messier 4 – Star Cluster
Messier 4 is a challenging sight at this level of morning twilight and moonlight. This morning it appears as a fuzzy star through the binocular. As its descriptive name indicates, a globular cluster appears as a compact grouping of stars, although the cluster’s members are widely spaced.
A century ago, this cluster type was used to find the galaxy’s center, located in the direction of Sagittarius, the next constellation to the east.
Return to this region in about 10 days when the moon is dimmer. Look for M4 before the beginning of morning twilight, which begins about two hours before sunrise — earlier at more northerly latitudes.
Later today, the moon occults (eclipses) Antares for sky watchers in southeastern Asia and New Zealand.
Look for the moon near Antares this morning. Locate a prominent star cluster near the bright star and return when the moon leaves this region of the sky.
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