November 7, 2026: See Venus, the thin crescent moon, and Spica together before sunrise. Learn why this close grouping is rare and how lunar nodes affect future gatherings.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:31 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:38 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Rare Close Grouping
A rare close grouping of Venus, the crescent moon, and Spica, Virgo’s brightest star, occurs in the east-southeast before sunrise. Using the size of a binocular field, 7.5° across, as a standard, they do not appear together this close until 2034 across North America.
As a note, on September 10, 2029, the three bodies, along with Jupiter, fill a circle 8.0° across, too large for all four to fit into a 7.5° field of view. As an evening grouping, the four objects can fit more tightly into the binocular field for observers on the West Coast of North America as the moon moves eastward, reducing the overall spacing.
The Cycles
Venus passes Spica about once a year during a three-month window. September conjunctions appear in the west-southwest after sunset. October groupings occur closer to the Sun, making them invisible, while November conjunctions appear before sunrise in the east-southeast.
The Moon passes near Spica every lunation, though the sky separation of the three bodies can be as wide as about 20°, especially when Venus and Spica are far apart. When Venus happens to be near Spica, the moon can join the scene and create striking planet–moon–star groupings.
Ecliptic, Moon’s Orbit
Sometimes the moon passes Spica closely, even occulting the star. That happens because the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5° relative to the ecliptic and because the orbit’s nodes slowly regress. The lunar orbit crosses the ecliptic at two points called nodes. The ascending node is where the Moon crosses northward; the descending node is where it crosses southward. Solar and lunar eclipses occur only when the Moon is near a node and at New or Full phase. The nodes shift westward in a cycle of 18.6 years due to the Sun’s gravitational torque; roughly 9.3 years later, the opposite node will be in the same region of the sky.
A year ago, the moon finished a series of occultations of Spica. The node is still near the star now, but occultations are not occurring. There are stretches of about four to six years with no close groupings because the moon’s path is too far from Spica when it passes. In about seven to ten years, the Moon will pass close again, and close groupings can occur when the Venus cycle lines up.
The 2034 Grouping
Venus repeats its appearance against the background sky nearly to the day. In 2034, Venus is 3.7° to Spica’s upper right and 4.9° to the moon’s lower right. Mars is 1.0° to the moon’s right.
The fit of the target objects within the binocular field is snug, but it meets the criteria established in this search for close groupings of Venus, Moon, and Spica.
This morning Venus, Moon, and Spica fit inside a circle about 2.7° in diameter, an easy and attractive sight in a binocular.
This Morning’s View
Here’s what to see:
Step outside an hour before sunrise while taking along a binocular. Find a clear view toward the east-southeast. Brilliant Venus is less than 10° above the east-southeast horizon.
Through the binocular, find Spica 1.8° to Venus’ right. The crescent moon, only 3% illuminated, is 1.8° to Venus’ lower right and 2.6° from Spica. The additional 0.1° is due to the moon’s radius because the separations are measured from the moon’s center.
This scene can be photographed with a steady camera using exposures up to a few seconds. The brighter twilight near the horizon may overexpose longer exposures and wash out the thin moon and Spica.
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