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A growing crescent moon that was shown in June 2025 via San Francisco. | Credit: Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu about Getty Images
The slim, growing crescent moon will shine in the night of July 26 near the star regulum of the “royal” star and offer a photogenic – albeit challenging – goal for those with a clear view of the western horizon.
Look west at Sunset to find the razor thin crescent, which hangs less than 10 degrees above the horizon. Regulus will appear as a blue and white light point about 1 degree on the right of the radiant edge of the moon and is more pronounced if the sun slips further below the horizon.
You can appreciate distances in the night sky by holding out your hand in front of your face. The width of the tip of your little finger corresponds to about 1 degree and its concentrated fist extends over about 10 degrees.
The 7% illuminated disc of the moon could be difficult to recognize itself against the evening sky and is entertained a little more than an hour after the sun next to the regulus. If you discover the moon, you can notice a soft light that infects its night side. This phenomenon, which is known as “earthenhe” or the “Da Vinci glow”, only occurs around the new moon phase when the moon pane is well positioned to bathe in sunlight, which is reflected from the earth’s surface and the atmosphere of the surface of the earth, and the presence of the old lava level, which darkens the luna surface.
The moon and regulus are located in the field of vision of a 10×50 behind glass. | Credit: Sternennacht/Chris Vaughan
The next evening, July 27th, the moon along the ecliptic – the path that the moon, the sun and the planets are pursuing through our sky will be followed – on a trajectory where it will pass near Mars in the evening sky early next week.
Stargazer, who hope to explore the miracles of the post-set kingdom, should look at our leaders to the best telescopes and binoculars to see the planets, stars and deep sky objects that populate the cosmos. Photographers who want to record the night sky should also see our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
Note from the publisher: If you want to take a picture of the moon with Regulus and share it with the readers of space.com, please send your photos, comments and your names and your place to Spacephotos@space.com.
