May 10-13, 2026: On May 13, the crescent moon appears near Saturn before sunrise. Use the moon as a guide to find the Ringed Wonder low in the eastern sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
Morning Moon, Saturn
The morning crescent moon meets Saturn as the Ringed Wonder makes its first morning appearance.
Waning Moon
The waning moon is farther eastward each morning. As the phase thins, earthshine – sunlight reflected from Earth’s features – appears on the lunar orb’s night portion. The effect is easy to see any morning or evening when the phase is less than 30% illuminated.
Earthshine
Photograph earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera. The effect appears in exposures lasting a few seconds. The crescent is overexposed hiding all the moon’s craters, while the earthshine shows.
Saturn’s First Morning Appearance
Saturn is emerging from bright morning twilight. It appears above the east direction, about 5° in altitude, height above the horizon. It appears through Earth’s thick atmosphere and is blurred through a binocular. Find a clear horizon looking eastward to see the Ringed Wonder. The moon is a guide on May 13:
Morning Highlights
Here’s what to see one hour before sunrise.
- May 10: The moon, 45% illuminated, is over 20° above the southeast horizon, over 44° to Saturn’s upper right.
- May 11: The lunar orb, 35% illuminated, is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon, over 30° to Saturn’s upper right.
- May 12: With Saturn nearly 6° above the east horizon, the moon, 25% illuminated, is nearly 16° up in the east-southeast, nearly 20° to the planet’s upper right. Look for and photograph earthshine.
- May 13: Likely the best morning to see Saturn for the first time, the lunar crescent is over 10° up in the east, 6.2° to the upper right of the planet. They fit into the same binocular field of view and make a pretty scene to photograph them with morning twilight.
Find the waning moon as it approaches Saturn during the next several mornings. Look for their conjunction on the morning of May 13.
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