Catch the solar system’s largest planet along with Earth’s only satellite sharing the constellation Gemini the Twins this morning before sunrise.
A delicate crescent Moon rises with Jupiter shortly before sunrise, sharing the constellation Gemini. Credit: Stellarium/USGS/Celestia/Clementine
- Jupiter and a thin crescent Moon rise together in the northeast before sunrise.
- A telescope might show some of Jupiter’s moons.
- The Moon’s illumination is only 3 percent.
- Sunrise occurs around 5:51 A.M. (location specific).
The Moon and Jupiter share the morning sky as they rise together in Gemini the Twins. The pair is about 3° high in the northeast an hour and a half before sunrise, forming an elongated triangle with 3rd-magnitude Epsilon (ε) Geminorum between and slightly above them.
The Moon is a delicate crescent that is just 3 percent illuminated, with Jupiter standing to its right and shining at magnitude –1.9. Farther to the Moon’s left is magnitude 1.6 Castor, Gemini’s alpha star.
Zoom in on Jupiter with a telescope to see some — or all, depending on your location — of its Galilean moons. East Coast observers may be able to catch Europa alone to the planet’s west, while Io (closest), Ganymede, and Callisto (farthest) lie to Jupiter’s east. But around 5:15 A.M. EDT, just as Jupiter is peeking over the horizon in the Midwest, Europa vanishes while still 10” from the northwestern limb as it passes into the planet’s dark shadow and out of view. The moon will remain hidden for the rest of the morning, as it doesn’t reappear until just after sunrise in the Pacific time zone.
Sunrise: 5:51 A.M.
Sunset: 8:22 P.M.
Moonrise: 4:07 A.M.
Moonset: 8:04 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (2%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
