July 16-17, 2026: Watch the crescent Moon return to the evening sky as it passes Venus and Regulus. Look for earthshine and follow Venus widening its gap with Leo’s brightest star.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
Venus, Lunar Crescent, Regulus in Evening Sky
As Venus dominates the western evening sky and widens a gap with Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, the crescent Moon returns to the evening sky and passes the pair during the opening days of its new lunation.
Earthshine
Look for earthshine, a gentle illumination on the Moon’s night portion, from sunlight reflected by Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. The effect is most noticeable during the next few evenings while the crescent remains thin. Capture images with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady smartphone camera using exposures up to a few seconds.
The Outlook
Here’s what to see an hour after sunset:
• July 16: Brilliant Venus is over 10° above the western horizon. The crescent Moon, 10% illuminated, is 7.5° to the lower right. Regulus is 1.6° to the Moon’s lower left. All three bodies are too far apart to fit into the same binocular field of view. A binocular easily shows Venus, Moon, and Regulus in the same general region of the sky, even though they do not fit into the same field. Through a telescope, Venus is 63% illuminated, displaying an evening gibbous phase.
• July 17: Venus is nearly the same altitude – height above the horizon – as last evening. The nearly four-day-old crescent Moon, 18% illuminated, is 6.4° to Venus’ left. Regulus, Venus, and the Moon span nearly 15°.
Watch the Moon continue to wax through the crescent phases until the evening half phase (First Quarter) on the 21st. Watch Venus step eastward in front of Leo. Venus continues to open a widening gap with Regulus. Their separation is over 10° on the 18th and over 15° on the 23rd.
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