Celestial Triangle Visible Before Sunrise on August 20

In the hours before dawn on August 20, skywatchers can observe a striking celestial triangle formed by the thin crescent moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the eastern sky.

The waning crescent moon, illuminated by only 9%, will appear about 15 degrees above the eastern horizon roughly an hour and a half before sunrise, nestled among the stars of the Gemini constellation.

Nearby, Venus will shine brightly as a “morning star” just 5 degrees below the moon, while Jupiter will sit less than 10 degrees to the upper right, completing the triangle’s apex. To put this into perspective, holding your fist at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees of the night sky.

Stars Castor and Pollux will be positioned to the left of the moon during early morning hours of August 19. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, will be visible near the horizon but will quickly become obscured by sunlight as the day begins, with sunrise occurring at 6:11 a.m. ET.

If observed through a 6-inch telescope, features like the dark oval of the lunar impact basin, the cloud bands on Jupiter, and Venus’s phases can be distinguished under good conditions.

In the coming nights, the crescent moon will sweep past Venus, then join Mercury and the Beehive star cluster in the Cancer constellation, leading up to the new moon on August 23.

For those interested in astronomy equipment, reviews of the best telescopes and lenses for astrophotography are available. Share your photos of this celestial event by sending images, comments, and location details to [email protected].