2026, April 24-26: Moon and Leo, Regulus Occultation

April 24-26, 2026: The moon occults Regulus on April 25. Watch the waxing moon pass in front of Leo and check local times for this event.

The moon, Regulus, and Venus, October 12, 2020
Photo Caption 2020, October 12: The moon (overexposed in the image) is 10.5° to the upper right of Regulus. Venus is over 11° to the lower left of the star.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Venus as an Evening Star

Moon, Leo, Cancer

Regulus Occultation

Mars and Moon, September 6, 2020
Photo Caption – 2020, September 6: Mars and Moon. (Composite image)

The waxing moon moves eastward, passing Cancer and Leo. On the evening of April 25, the lunar orb occults (eclipses) the star Regulus for sky watchers in South America, Central America, the Caribbean basin, and the southeastern U.S. In the U.S. Central Time Zone, the occultation begins before sunset and ends during evening twilight. Farther westward, the event occurs during daylight.

An occultation occurs when the moon passes between a sky watcher and a star or planet. The eastern edge, or limb, which at this gibbous phase is dark, covers the star.

As the moon slowly moves eastward, about 0.5° in an hour, the star reappears at the bright limb. The duration is determined by the sky watcher’s location relative to the moon’s orbital plane at occultation times. The occultation can last a few minutes or over an hour, depending on the specific location.

Stars near the ecliptic, like Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, are frequent occultation targets. This Moon–Regulus occultation is the eleventh in a series of 20 that ends on December 27.

Leo resembles its mythological namesake. The head, also known as the Sickle of Leo, is made of a half dozen stars in the shape of a backwards question mark, with Regulus at the bottom. The Lion faces westward. At this season, Leo is high in the southern sky as evening twilight ends.

Highlights

Moon, Regulus, Leo, April 25-26, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, April 24-26: The moon appears farther eastward each night, passing Leo and occulting Regulus.

Here’s what to see an hour after sunset:

April 24: The gibbous moon, 61% illuminated, is high in the south-southwest, over 13° to Regulus’ upper right.

April 25: The moon is high in the southern sky. For most observers in North America, the occultation is finished with the moon about 1° to Regulus’ lower left. In the southeast US here times for the event:

CitySunsetRegulus DisappearsReappears
Miami7:49 p.m.8:33 p.m.9:59 p.m.
Atlanta8:18 p.m.8:18 p.m.9:36 p.m.
Washington, DC7:56 p.m.8:41 p.m.9:23 p.m.
Pittsburgh, PA8:38 p.m.8:34 p.m.9:18 p.m.

For those sky watchers in the Central Time Zone, here are some reappearance times: Chicago at 8:11 p.m., Austin at 8:18 p.m., and Winnipeg at 7:41 p.m., although Canada experiences long twilight periods.

April 26: The bright gibbous moon, 80% illuminated, is over halfway up in the south-southeast, 13.5° to Regulus’ lower left.

Watch the moon continue to wax as it reaches the Full phase on May 1.

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