August 7, 2026: The crescent moon passes near the Pleiades star cluster before sunrise. Mars shines east of Taurus’ horns while Orion returns to the morning sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:51 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:01 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
Mars, Moon, Pleiades
Before sunrise, the moon is near the Pleiades star cluster. Mars is nearby after passing between Taurus’ horns a few mornings ago.
Morning Crescent Moon
Two hours before sunrise in the Central Time Zone, step outside and look eastward. The crescent moon, 35% illuminated, is less than halfway from the eastern horizon to overhead. The lunar orb is approaching its thinnest morning phases before New Moon and a solar eclipe. This scene is worthy of the early alarm as the moon joins Taurus, Orion, and the stars that are visible during winter evenings as they return to the morning sky to begin an annual appearance cycle that ends next spring.
Binocular View
The lunar crescent is 1.9° to Alcyone’s lower left, the brightest star in the Pleiades star cluster, which resembles a miniature dipper. This is a pretty sight through a binocular.
From locations farther eastward and earlier during the night, the geometry changes. For example from Boston, the lunar crescent is 0.5° to Alcyone’s upper left. Farther westward across the Americas, the moon appears farther east of the star cluster. Earlier during the night in Europe, the moon is west of the cluster and begins to cover it as morning twilight begins. These changing views result from the moon’s eastward motion against the starfield and Earth’s rotation.
In celestial artwork, the Pleiades rides on Taurus’ back. While the stars are not among the brightest stars in the sky, they are bunched together, and on moonless nights they are often first noticed with peripheral vision. The Pleiades and Hyades are among the nearest prominent star clusters visible without optical aid.
When near the eastern horizon, Taurus faces the horizon and seems to back into the sky. Bright reddish-orange Aldebaran is less than 15° to the Pleiades’ lower left. Along with the Hyades star cluster, Aldebaran outlines a letter “V” that represents the Bull’s head. The horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, are about 15° to Aldebaran’s left.
After this morning’s appearance with the Pleiades, the moon’s phase is brighter when it passes the cluster during each succeeding lunation until next spring.
Orion
While observing the moon and star cluster, find Orion’s brightest stars — Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Bellatrix — near the eastern horizon. Orion is continuing its annual morning appearance cycle after emerging from western evening twilight earlier this summer.
Mars
Mars is in the same region, east of Taurus’ horns. The Red Planet is now clearly beyond the horns after its recent passage between Elnath and Zeta Tauri. While nearly the same color, the planet is dimmer than Aldebaran and Betelgeuse because it remains over 180 million miles from Earth. Mars continues its eastward march, 3.2° to Zeta Tauri’s upper left and 6.8° below Elnath. Look each clear morning to note Mars’ changing location compared to the horns as it continues toward the Gemini boundary.
The moon, the Pleiades, Mars, Taurus, and Orion occupy a rich region of sky, creating a striking predawn scene that rewards an early look toward the eastern horizon.
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