Sky ArchiveTonight

Moon and star Regulus before dawn

Posted by
Bruce McClure
and
September 26, 2016

Sky Chart moon Regulus

Before dawn on September 27, 2016, the waning crescent moon and star Regulus are visible near each other. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. You’ll want to be outside before sunrise, to see the moon and Regulus in the eastern predawn sky.

Around the world, nearly everyone has a reasonably good chance of catching this star near Earth’s companion moon … and not just on September 27. You can see them together on September 28, too. However, there’s also a planet in the vicinity of the moon and Regulus, and the Northern Hemisphere has a better view of the planet Mercury, which we talk about here.

The bow of the waning crescent moon points toward Mercury's place over the sunrise point on the horizon. Mercury is more easily viewed in the Northern Hemisphere.
The bow of the waning crescent moon points toward Mercury’s place over the sunrise point on the horizon. Mercury is more easily viewed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Bottom line: Given clear skies and an unobstructed eastern horizon, almost everyone worldwide should be able to see the moon and Regulus in the morning sky on both September 27 and September 28, 2016.

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Posted 
September 26, 2016
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Sky Archive

Bruce McClure

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About the Author:
Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. You can still find many articles at EarthSky.org that were originally written by Bruce, and which the EarthSky editors still update regularly. Bruce is a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York. Bruce he loves cycles of all kinds! You can still find many articles at EarthSky with Bruce's name on them, exploring the various, intricate cycles of the sky.

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