The half-lit moon will appear to skip past the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius on the nights surrounding its first quarter phase on Aug. 30-31 this week.
On Aug. 30, skywatchers can spot the nearly half-lit moon hanging a little less than 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon at sunset. Antares will shine as a bright red point of light roughly 5 degrees to the upper left of the waxing moon. Remember, the width of your middle three fingers held at arm's length is the equivalent of 5 degrees in the night sky, while your clenched fist accounts for approximately 10 degrees!
The moon officially reaches its first quarter phase at 2:25 a.m. (0625 GMT) on Aug. 31. At this time, the entirety of the right side of the lunar disk will be directly illuminated by sunlight, presenting the ancient basaltic plains of Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis to exploration, while its left side will remain veiled in impenetrable darkness.
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By sunset on Aug. 31, the lunar disk will have shifted to the left side of the sparkling red star. Antares is among the brightest stars visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere and is often known as the 'heart of the scorpion', owing to its central position in the constellation Scorpius. Antares is, in reality, a binary star system, made up of a red supergiant star with a white main sequence companion, though the light of the red giant dominates the naked-eye view from Earth.
Following its brush with Antares, the moon will continue eastward through the stars of the constellations of Sagittarius, Capricornus and Aquarius ahead of its full moon phase on Sept. 7. The event will coincide with a total lunar eclipse, as Earth passes directly between the lunar disk and the sun, bathing its natural satellite in shadow, which in turn will trigger the appearance of a dramatic blood moon.
Read more: Total lunar eclipse 2025: Everything you need to know about the next blood moon
Photographers interested in capturing the event should read our article on how to image a lunar eclipse, while those looking to upgrade their equipment should check out our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
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