Saturn and Neptune are joined by the crescent Moon in the early-morning sky as our satellite moves along the ecliptic.
The Moon hangs close to the outer planets Saturn and Neptune in the sky early this morning before sunrise. Neptune will require binoculars or a telescope to spot. Credit: Alison Klesman (via TheSkyX)
The Moon hangs near Saturn and Neptune in the early-morning sky, and it’s best to catch them earlier rather than later. Try looking east 90 minutes before sunrise, where you’ll easily spot the crescent Moon in southwestern Pisces, below the Circlet asterism.
Just to the lower left of the Moon is 1st-magnitude Saturn, which stands out well in a region with few bright stars. Through a telescope, Saturn’s disk stretches 17”, while its rings — with their southern face now just visible, tilted less than 3° — span 37”. Titan, the ringed planet’s largest and brightest moon, lies about 1.3’ due west of Saturn this morning and should also be visible in your eyepiece.
Now, scan 2° northeast of Saturn — directly to the left on the sky — to find distant Neptune. The ice giant shines at 8th magnitude and spans just 2”, so it will look like a “flat,” dim star that may have a grayish or bluish cast.
Far to the trio’s lower left and still close to the horizon an hour and a half before sunrise is blazing Venus, shining at magnitude –4.5. We’ll check out this planet tomorrow morning, when the Moon has drawn closer for another lovely pairing.
The Moon will pass 3° north of Saturn at 2 P.M. EDT, then passes 2° north of Neptune at 5 P.M. EDT.
Sunrise: 5:39 A.M.
Sunset: 8:15 P.M.
Moonrise: 2:48 A.M.
Moonset: 3:09 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (26%)
*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.
