Crescent Moon

2023 - 3 - 24

moon and star moon and star

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Image courtesy of "SkyandTelescope.com"

This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 24 – April 2 (SkyandTelescope.com)

FRIDAY, MARCH 24. □ Venus shines below the waxing crescent Moon in the west during and after twilight this evening, as shown here.

Look for it high in the southwest in early evening, lower in the west later. From there look higher upper right for Pollux and Castor (lined up nearly horizontal), lower right from Castor to dim Beta Aurigae and then bright Capella, lower left from there to Aldebaran, lower left to Rigel at the bottom of Orion, and back to Sirius. The next up, once you know your way around, are the even larger [Interstellarum](http://www.deep-sky-atlas.com/dsa.asp%3Fcontent=start.html) atlas (stars to magnitude 9.5) or [Uranometria 2000.0](https://shopatsky.com/products/uranometria-2000-0-atlas-all-sky-edition-pole-to-pole-coverage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=wbupdate) (stars to magnitude 9.75). Jupiter is magnitude –2.0 and Mercury is not far behind: magnitude –1.5 on Friday March 24th, fading to –1.1 over the next seven days. Mercury and Jupiter are very low in the glow of sunset. See the article and finder charts in the These are the two brightest stars in the sky at the time. The Moon is about 6° from each. Mercury is 1.3° to the right of brighter Jupiter. They do the reverse water dump in the fall. Look for it fairly low in the north-northwest. Follow this line past the bowl's lip far across the sky, and you cruise to Capella.

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Image courtesy of "Space.com"

Want to see Uranus? The crescent moon points the way tonight ... (Space.com)

On Friday, March 24, the moon will be closely separated from Uranus offering skywatchers an excellent guide to spotting the ice giant.

[best telescopes](https://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html) and [best binoculars](https://www.space.com/26021-best-binoculars.html) are a great place to start. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our [Apollo landing sites observing guide](https://www.space.com/apollo-landing-sites-moon-observer-guide). Earth itself is four times larger than the moon, which has a diameter of 2,100 miles (3,500 km), which means Uranus is almost 15 times the size of the moon. With a diameter of 31,000 miles (50,000 km), Uranus is about four times the Uranus will rise at 08:48 EDT (1248 GMT), reaching its highest point over the horizon at around 15:50 EDT (1950 GMT) and setting at 22:51 EDT (0251 GMT). The moon will be in its waxing crescent phase as light creeps across its face signaling the transition from the fully dark [new moon](https://www.space.com/17561-new-moon-explained-lunar-phases.html) on Tuesday to the completely illuminated [full moon](https://www.space.com/16830-full-moon-calendar.html) on April 6, also known as the Full Pink Moon. The moon is just an average of 239,000 miles (384,400 kilometers) from [magnitude](https://www.space.com/21640-star-luminosity-and-magnitude.html) of 5.8 and should be visible with binoculars or a small telescope appearing as a blue-green dot. At their most widely separated there are 1.98 billion miles (3.2 billion km) between Earth and Uranus. If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on [how to photograph the moon](https://www.space.com/how-to-photograph-the-moon-camera), as well as our [best cameras for astrophotography](https://www.space.com/best-cameras-for-astrophotography) and [best lenses for astrophotography](https://www.space.com/best-lenses-for-astrophotography). We recommend the Below the moon and Uranus will be the second planet from the sun, [Venus](https://www.space.com/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html).

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Image courtesy of "Astronomy Magazine"

The Sky This Week from March 24 to 31 (Astronomy Magazine)

Jupiter and Mercury meet just days before Venus and Uranus mingle, while Mars cozies up to M35 from March 24 to 31.

The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, at 7:17 A.M. Uranus, still magnitude 5.9, will require binoculars or a scope to pick out, especially while the sky is still light but likely even after dark as well. Slow-moving Mars is still up near M35 in roughly the same position as a few days ago. (Though as usual, the earlier, the better.) The Moon doesn’t quite help, either, but at least it’s a few constellations away! That provides a short but usable dark-sky window, though the earlier you’re able to hunt them down, the better.

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Image courtesy of "When the Curves Line Up"

2023, April 17: Look for the Thin Crescent Moon, Venus Stepping ... (When the Curves Line Up)

April 17, 2023: A very thin crescent appears in the eastern sky to the lower left of Saturn before sunrise. Venus steps eastward through the Bull after ...

The planet is to the lower right of Kappa Tauri (κ Tau) and Upsilon Tauri (υ Tau), Hyades’ outliers. April 15, 2023: Displaying earthshine, the morning crescent moon is near Saturn before sunrise. The Hyades cluster is to the lower left and the Pleiades are to the lower right. April 14, 2023: The thick crescent moon nears Saturn before sunrise. April 16, 2023: The waning crescent moon is under Saturn before daybreak. The final bright planet tonight is also fading in brightness, but not like Mercury. At forty-five minutes after sundown, Mercury, nearly 25° to the lower right of Venus, is less than 9° above the west-northwest horizon. Brilliant Venus is “that bright star” in the western sky after sunset. The planet is not bright like Venus or Jupiter, but it is among the brightest “stars” in the sky this morning. Epsilon Tauri (ε Tau on the chart) is at the top of the “V” of Taurus, opposite Aldebaran and part of the main concentration of the Hyades star cluster. At this hour, the crescent moon, 9% illuminated, is very low in the east and over 15° to Saturn’s lower left. Venus steps eastward through the Bull after sundown.

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Image courtesy of "Westside People"

Want to see Uranus? Crescent points the way tonight (March 24) (Westside People)

The moon will be close to Uranus in the sky tonight (March 24), providing skywatchers with an excellent guide for spotting the ice giant. Uranusthe.

Follow us @employee (Opens in a new tab) or in Facebook (Opens in a new tab) And Instagram (Opens in a new tab) . Uranus has a diameter of 31,000 miles (50,000 km), and is about four times as massive as Earth Earth sizeIt has a diameter of 7,900 miles (12,800 km). Under the moon and Uranus will be the second planet from the sun, Venus. The Moon is on average 239,000 miles (384,400 km) away Uranusthe seventh planet from the sun fall in direction Solar SystemIts outskirts will be a mere two moon widths to the left the moon During a Friday evening for observers in eastern America.

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