Latest news with #crescentmoon
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
See A ‘Ghost Moon' As Perseid Meteors Begin: The Night Sky This Week
A crescent moon and the Pleiades. Each Monday, I pick out North America's celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. The Night Sky This Week: July 14-20, 2025 Mid-July brings us into the heart of the summer stargazing season, with long, warm nights and plenty of celestial sights. This week, the moon begins a graceful slide through the late-night sky, pairing up with Saturn midweek before reaching its delicate crescent phase just ahead of a stunning conjunction with the Pleiades. Here's everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week: Tuesday, July 15: The Moon Meets Saturn Tuesday, July 15: The Moon Meets Saturn Late tonight, a 70%-illuminated waning gibbous moon will rise in the east alongside Saturn. Look about halfway up the southeastern sky at midnight to see them paired just two degrees apart. Saturn will glow a steady yellowish light above the moon. The ringed planet is gradually brightening as it approaches its annual opposition on September 21, when it will be at its biggest and best of the year. Thursday, July 17: Last Quarter Moon And Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight's moon rises around midnight in its last quarter phase, appearing half-lit. This marks the beginning of a stretch of darker evening skies. That's great news for meteor watchers, with the first Perseids of the year beginning tonight. While the famously prolific peak night (on August 11-12, 2025) will sadly be spoiled by very bright moonlight this year, now through late July is an ideal time to catch stray Perseids in moonless night skies. Look northeast after midnight and be patient. Sunday, July 20: Moon And The Pleiades Sunday, July 20: Moon And The Pleiades Wake early this morning — about 45 minutes before sunrise — and look east-northeast for one of the loveliest sky scenes of the month. A delicate 24%-lit crescent moon will glide alongside the dazzling Pleiades open cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters). 'Earthshine' — sunlight reflected off Earth's oceans, ice caps and clouds — will give the moon's darkened portion a ghostly glow. The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Arab News
25-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Muharram begins on Thursday: Saudi Supreme Court
RIYADH: Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, will start on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court announced on Wednesday. The announcement came after the crescent moon was sighted in the Kingdom on Wednesday evening. The sighting of the crescent marks the start of the Islamic year 1447, a reference to the amount of years that have passed since Prophet Muhammad migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
Forbes
25-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
When To See The Rare Sight Of Mercury Close To The Moon This Week
Stargazers are in for a rare celestial treat this weekend as the elusive planet Mercury makes a brief appearance beside a delicate crescent moon in the evening sky. Visible from just after sunset on Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27, this conjunction offers one of the best opportunities of the year to spot the tiny planet, which is usually lost in the sun's glare. Mercury will shine close to a crescent moon this week. getty To see the moon and Mercury together, skywatchers should look toward the west-northwest horizon about 45 minutes after sunset on both Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27. A clear view low to the horizon will be needed, as will clear skies. Be sure to start looking on time, as Mercury will quickly dip below the horizon. Mercury, though dim compared to the moon, will remain visible to the naked eye for those with a clear view of the horizon. Mercury is notoriously hard to spot. As the closest planet to the sun, it never strays far from our star from our perspective on Earth and is often lost in the brightness of twilight. Late on Friday, June 27, also sees the peak of the Boötid meteor shower, a minor meteor display during which a few shooting stars may be spotted coming from the constellation Boötes. Thursday, June 26: Crescent Moon, Mercury And Gemini Stellarium On Thursday, June 26, a slim waxing crescent moon, only 3.4% illuminated, will hang low in the sky between Mercury and the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the 'twin' stars of the constellation Gemini. The four celestial bodies will be within a few degrees of one another, forming a compact, eye-catching cluster that will be easy to see with the naked eye. On Friday, June 27, the moon will have grown slightly to a 9%-lit waxing crescent and will appear just above and to the right of Mercury. Friday, June 27: Crescent Moon And Mercury Stellarium Although it's Mercury that's the rare sight, on Friday, June 27, the crescent moon will be higher in a darker sky, making it easier to spot. It will also be arguably at its most beautiful, with its darkened face glowing faintly thanks to a phenomenon known as Earthshine — sunlight reflected from Earth's clouds, ice caps and oceans back onto the moon's night side. Mercury And The Bepicolombo Mission A joint mission by the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency, the BepiColumbo spacecraft will go intoorbit around Mercury in November 2026 to study its extreme temperatures, magnetic field and mysterious polar two spacecraft — ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter — they will separate from the chassis before they enter different orbits around Mercury. BepiColombo sent back images of Mercury after a brief flyby of the planet in January this year. Forbes In Photos: See Mercury's Craters In Rare Close-Ups After Final Flyby By Jamie Carter Forbes When To See June's 'Strawberry Moon,' The Lowest Full Moon Since 2006 By Jamie Carter Forbes NASA Urges Public To Leave The City For The Perseid Meteor Shower This Weekend By Jamie Carter
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
See the moon, Venus and the Pleiades make a celestial triangle in the predawn sky on June 22
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Look to the east before sunrise on June 22 to catch the delicate form of the crescent moon shining with Venus alongside the Pleiades star cluster. Stargazers in the U.S. can find the cosmic trio loitering above the eastern horizon in the hours preceding dawn on Sunday, June 22. Venus will be visible shining to the lower right of the sickle-like shape of the waning crescent moon, while the Pleiades open star cluster can be found less than 10 degrees (one fist's width at arm's length) to the lower left of the lunar disk. The Pleiades will be the last of the three bodies to rise above the horizon at around 3.15 a.m. ET (0715 GMT) on June 22, and will be visible for a little over an hour before it becomes challenging to spot in the glare of the rising sun. As always the utmost care must be taken to never point telescopic equipment or binoculars close to the rising sun, as doing so can immediately and permanently damage your vision. TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see the moon, Venus or the Pleiades up close? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. The strange cosmic triangle is a perfect example of the astounding variety of objects that are visible to the naked eye from Earth. The moon, for example, is a relatively small, barren world scarred by craters and dark lunar seas born of brutal asteroid bombardments that occurred billions of years ago. As the moon progresses through the different phases of the lunar calendar, the sun's light throws new impact sites, barren plains, and swathes of broken landscapes into relief as prime targets for amateur astronomers wielding binoculars and backyard telescopes. Venus, meanwhile, is a rocky world that shares a similar size, mass and density with our planet, which has led to it being nicknamed 'Earth's twin'. However, telescopic and robotic observations are steadily unravelling the mystery of how the planet followed a radically different evolutionary path that saw a runaway greenhouse gas effect render it hostile to life as we know it. It is possible to observe the different phases of the Venutian disk - which are similar to the phases of the moon - using a telescope with a 60 mm aperture (or greater) with a minimum of 50x magnification, per telescope-maker Celestron. The Pleiades star cluster (also known as Messier 45) is a different beast entirely — a gravitationally bound collection of over a thousand stars found within the Milky Way some 445 light-years from Earth in the Taurus constellation, according to NASA. The Pleiades are readily visible as a smudge of light to the naked eye under dark sky conditions, but a pair of 10x50 binoculars will help you witness their true nature, and distinguish individual stars. The view will become even more spectacular with the aid of a 6-inch telescope, revealing more of the dazzling blue-white stars. Stargazers hoping to explore the wonders of the universe for themselves should check out our guide to the best telescopes and binoculars on offer in 2025. Photographers hoping to capture the next big astronomy event should also check out our roundup of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography. Editor's Note: If you capture an image of the moon with Venus and the Pleiades and want to share it with readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Don't Miss This Weekend's Sky Show — The Moon, Venus And A Star Cluster
Early risers on Sunday, June 22, are in for a pre-dawn treat — a triangular arrangement of the waning crescent moon flanked by Venus and the Pleiades star cluster. The three most beautiful naked-eye sights to be had in the night sky will create a stunning panorama just before sunrise. Here's everything you need to know about when and where to see them. To catch this display, head outside about an hour before sunrise and look east. Venus, unmistakably bright at magnitude -4.2, will be shining beneath a 13%-lit waning crescent moon (over 30 times brighter than Venus). To the left of the pair will be the Pleiades (also known as the Seven Sisters and Messier 45), one of the closest open clusters of stars to the solar system. Aside from the brilliance of Venus and the dazzling twinkling stars of the Pleiades, look carefully at the moon's darkened portion — its night side. Despite there being no direct sunlight upon it, it is faintly illuminated. That's Earthshine or planet-shine, sunlight reflected from Earth's oceans and clouds onto the moon. It will create a softly lit lunar disk above Venus — a beautiful sight! The entire spectacle is, of course, a line-of-sight illusion — all three objects extremely far from each other. The moon is about 238,000 miles from Earth, Venus about 150 times farther and the Pleiades around 444 light-years away. Forget all about a telescope. It's what everyone immediately thinks of when they think about astronomy, and it's very often completely irrelevant. You just need naked eyes for this sky event, though a pair of binoculars will enhance the view, especially if you want to appreciate the cluster of stars in the Pleiades and get a close-up of Earthshine on the moon. More important is an observing location with a clear, unobstructed view to the eastern or western horizon, if possible away from city lights — though light pollution makes zero difference to the planets and the moon. If you're up for another early outing, Monday, June 23, will see an even slimmer waning crescent moon closer to the Pleiades — just half a degree away — with Venus remaining nearby. For exact timings, use a sunrise and sunset calculator for where you are, Stellarium Web for a sky chart and Night Sky Tonight: Visible Planets at Your Location for positions and rise/set times for planets. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
