The young moon is back in the evening sky. We received several photos of it from last night (September 25), and expect to see more photos as the sun sets across the world today. So far the only North American photo we’ve seen came from Spencer Mann in Davis, California. From his location on the western edge of the continent, he managed to catch last night’s young moon. He wrote:
My aunt Kathy Friebertshauser and I camped out on a country road, waiting to see the waxing crescent. We weren’t disappointed – it was very faint, but clearly visible among the dark clouds, rose-tinged sky, and coastal mountains. It was definitely a scene worth waiting for!
Denis Crute in Parkes Australia had a better view of the moon than we do in North America. At this time of year (spring in the Southern Hemisphere), it’s possible to catch objects in the western twilight above the sunset, not to one side of the sunset as we now see it during our northern autumn. Here’s Denis’ photo, taken a few hours after Spencer caught his, as night fell in Australia on September 26.
Will you see the moon near Mercury on the evening of September 26? Maybe.
This little moon will be waxing in the evening sky over the next couple of weeks. It’s waxing toward a full moon eclipse, visible in North America, on the night of October 7-8.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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