Month after month, the Moon reigns as the most obvious and beautiful thing in the night sky. But how much do you know about the Moon? Can you name even the biggest craters? Do you know what gives the Moon its subtle colors? Reading the Moon: Step 1 Avid Moonwatchers say the best time to view it is not just during a full Moon, but also around the time of first quarter or last quarter. For about a week around each of these times, the Sun strikes the Moon's surface at a steep angle, rendering craters in sharp relief. Though it's tempting to use a telescope, your first explorations should be with the naked eye. Become familiar with the Moon's major features. Then use binoculars to study the features more closely. Learn the names of a few craters and plains (called maria, after the Latin word "mare," which means sea). If you use a telescope, zero in on the line where light and shadow meet. Here you'll see the greatest contrast and the most detail. Monday, 7/3First Quarter Moon, 12:37 p.m.The First Quarter Moon can be seen in the southeast sky in the afternoon, and is well up in the South at sunset. Monday, 7/3Earth at Aphelion, 7:00 p.m.The Sun is farthest from the Earth for the year, at about 1.01669AU, or about 94,507,900 miles ( 152,095,700 km). An ???AU??? is an ???Astronomical Unit, or the average distance between the Sun and Earth. It seems odd, but the Earth is farthest from the Sun in July, closest in January! Wednesday, 7/5Moon/Jupiter, 10:00 p.m.The moon passes about 5 degrees South of bright Jupiter. Friday, 7/7Moon/Antares, late eveningThe Moon passes very near bright star Antares in Scorpius (in the southwest), getting closer and closer until moonset. The closest approach is after moonset in many locations. From parts of Australia and New Zealand, this is seen as an occultation (eclipse). Monday, 7/10Full Moon, 11:02 p.m.While Full Moons are pretty, they stay up all night and are so bright that they drown out many fainter objects. Monday, 7/17Last Quarter Moon, 3:12 p.m.For the late night observer or the sharp-eyed morning sky watcher, Last Quarter Moons can be observed from roughly midnight until roughly noon the following day. Thursday, 7/20Moon/Pleiades, 5:00 a.m.The Waning Crescent Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star cluster, the Pleiades. Approaching sunrise may hamper observations in some eastern locations. Friday, 7/21Mars/Regulus, duskMars passes close to the star Regulus, quite low in the western sky after sunset. The closest approach occurs at about 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, long after the two have sat in most locations. Tuesday, 7/25New Moon, 12:31 a.m.New Moons cannot be seen, but they mark the end of one lunar cycle and the beginning of the next. Look for a thin Crescent Moon in the West after sunset on Thursday evening. Thursday, 7/27Moon/Mars, duskVery sharp-eyed observers may be able to catch Mars near the western horizon, slightly below and the right of a thin Crescent Moon just as it gets dark this evening. The closest approach of about 1 degree (two lunar diameters) is at 1 p.m. EDT, but the two are separated by only a few degrees as night approaches. Friday, 7/28South Delta Aquarid Meteors, 3:00 a.m.This is not a major shower, and is spread out over about a two-week period. It typically it does not have a sharp peak (meaning that rates don't vary dramatically from day to day). At maximum, a single observer in a dark location may see about 20 meteors from this shower in an hour. Aquarius, the constellation from whence the meteors seem to radiate, is in the southeast at 3 a.m. Monday, 7/31Moon/Spica, 9:00 p.m.The nearly First Quarter Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star Spica in Virgo. Look to the southern or southwestern sky. Bright Jupiter is a few degrees to the East (more or less left, depending on your geographic location). The Moon occults or eclipses the star as viewed from parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Reading the Moon: Step 1
Avid Moonwatchers say the best time to view it is not just during a full Moon, but also around the time of first quarter or last quarter. For about a week around each of these times, the Sun strikes the Moon's surface at a steep angle, rendering craters in sharp relief.
Though it's tempting to use a telescope, your first explorations should be with the naked eye. Become familiar with the Moon's major features. Then use binoculars to study the features more closely. Learn the names of a few craters and plains (called maria, after the Latin word "mare," which means sea).
If you use a telescope, zero in on the line where light and shadow meet. Here you'll see the greatest contrast and the most detail. Monday, 7/3First Quarter Moon, 12:37 p.m.The First Quarter Moon can be seen in the southeast sky in the afternoon, and is well up in the South at sunset. Monday, 7/3Earth at Aphelion, 7:00 p.m.The Sun is farthest from the Earth for the year, at about 1.01669AU, or about 94,507,900 miles ( 152,095,700 km). An ???AU??? is an ???Astronomical Unit, or the average distance between the Sun and Earth. It seems odd, but the Earth is farthest from the Sun in July, closest in January! Wednesday, 7/5Moon/Jupiter, 10:00 p.m.The moon passes about 5 degrees South of bright Jupiter. Friday, 7/7Moon/Antares, late eveningThe Moon passes very near bright star Antares in Scorpius (in the southwest), getting closer and closer until moonset. The closest approach is after moonset in many locations. From parts of Australia and New Zealand, this is seen as an occultation (eclipse). Monday, 7/10Full Moon, 11:02 p.m.While Full Moons are pretty, they stay up all night and are so bright that they drown out many fainter objects. Monday, 7/17Last Quarter Moon, 3:12 p.m.For the late night observer or the sharp-eyed morning sky watcher, Last Quarter Moons can be observed from roughly midnight until roughly noon the following day. Thursday, 7/20Moon/Pleiades, 5:00 a.m.The Waning Crescent Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star cluster, the Pleiades. Approaching sunrise may hamper observations in some eastern locations. Friday, 7/21Mars/Regulus, duskMars passes close to the star Regulus, quite low in the western sky after sunset. The closest approach occurs at about 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, long after the two have sat in most locations. Tuesday, 7/25New Moon, 12:31 a.m.New Moons cannot be seen, but they mark the end of one lunar cycle and the beginning of the next. Look for a thin Crescent Moon in the West after sunset on Thursday evening. Thursday, 7/27Moon/Mars, duskVery sharp-eyed observers may be able to catch Mars near the western horizon, slightly below and the right of a thin Crescent Moon just as it gets dark this evening. The closest approach of about 1 degree (two lunar diameters) is at 1 p.m. EDT, but the two are separated by only a few degrees as night approaches. Friday, 7/28South Delta Aquarid Meteors, 3:00 a.m.This is not a major shower, and is spread out over about a two-week period. It typically it does not have a sharp peak (meaning that rates don't vary dramatically from day to day). At maximum, a single observer in a dark location may see about 20 meteors from this shower in an hour. Aquarius, the constellation from whence the meteors seem to radiate, is in the southeast at 3 a.m. Monday, 7/31Moon/Spica, 9:00 p.m.The nearly First Quarter Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star Spica in Virgo. Look to the southern or southwestern sky. Bright Jupiter is a few degrees to the East (more or less left, depending on your geographic location). The Moon occults or eclipses the star as viewed from parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Monday, 7/3First Quarter Moon, 12:37 p.m.The First Quarter Moon can be seen in the southeast sky in the afternoon, and is well up in the South at sunset.
Monday, 7/3Earth at Aphelion, 7:00 p.m.The Sun is farthest from the Earth for the year, at about 1.01669AU, or about 94,507,900 miles ( 152,095,700 km). An ???AU??? is an ???Astronomical Unit, or the average distance between the Sun and Earth. It seems odd, but the Earth is farthest from the Sun in July, closest in January!
Wednesday, 7/5Moon/Jupiter, 10:00 p.m.The moon passes about 5 degrees South of bright Jupiter.
Friday, 7/7Moon/Antares, late eveningThe Moon passes very near bright star Antares in Scorpius (in the southwest), getting closer and closer until moonset. The closest approach is after moonset in many locations. From parts of Australia and New Zealand, this is seen as an occultation (eclipse).
Monday, 7/10Full Moon, 11:02 p.m.While Full Moons are pretty, they stay up all night and are so bright that they drown out many fainter objects.
Monday, 7/17Last Quarter Moon, 3:12 p.m.For the late night observer or the sharp-eyed morning sky watcher, Last Quarter Moons can be observed from roughly midnight until roughly noon the following day.
Thursday, 7/20Moon/Pleiades, 5:00 a.m.The Waning Crescent Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star cluster, the Pleiades. Approaching sunrise may hamper observations in some eastern locations.
Friday, 7/21Mars/Regulus, duskMars passes close to the star Regulus, quite low in the western sky after sunset. The closest approach occurs at about 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, long after the two have sat in most locations.
Tuesday, 7/25New Moon, 12:31 a.m.New Moons cannot be seen, but they mark the end of one lunar cycle and the beginning of the next. Look for a thin Crescent Moon in the West after sunset on Thursday evening.
Thursday, 7/27Moon/Mars, duskVery sharp-eyed observers may be able to catch Mars near the western horizon, slightly below and the right of a thin Crescent Moon just as it gets dark this evening. The closest approach of about 1 degree (two lunar diameters) is at 1 p.m. EDT, but the two are separated by only a few degrees as night approaches.
Friday, 7/28South Delta Aquarid Meteors, 3:00 a.m.This is not a major shower, and is spread out over about a two-week period. It typically it does not have a sharp peak (meaning that rates don't vary dramatically from day to day). At maximum, a single observer in a dark location may see about 20 meteors from this shower in an hour. Aquarius, the constellation from whence the meteors seem to radiate, is in the southeast at 3 a.m.
Monday, 7/31Moon/Spica, 9:00 p.m.The nearly First Quarter Moon passes less than a half-degree from the star Spica in Virgo. Look to the southern or southwestern sky. Bright Jupiter is a few degrees to the East (more or less left, depending on your geographic location). The Moon occults or eclipses the star as viewed from parts of the Southern Hemisphere.