Heads up, stargazers! The waxing gibbous moon will shine near the purple star Antares after sundown on Sunday (Aug. 3).
Look 20 levels above the southern horizon to seek out the 69%-lit moon glowing among the many stars of the constellation Scorpius, with Antares showing as a brilliant, reddish level of sunshine roughly 1 diploma to the higher left of the lunar disk. Remember: The tip of your finger held at arm’s size accounts for roughly 1 diploma of the evening sky.
As the evening wears on, Antares will seem to skirt across the moon’s northern rim. It will lastly set to the precise of Earth’s satellite tv for pc because it slips under the southwestern horizon within the early hours of Aug. 4.
The moon will go straight in entrance of, or occult, Antares from the angle of a number of locations within the Southern Hemisphere — together with Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Antarctica — after 8:08 p.m. ET on Aug. 3 (0008 GMT Aug. 4).
Antares is a purple supergiant star 700 instances the dimensions of the solar. The star, which orbits throughout the Milky Way some 600 light-years from Earth, has lengthy since used up its hydrogen gasoline and has transitioned to fusing heavier parts in a bid to stave off its gravitational collapse. Once these reserves are depleted, the star will finish its life in a dramatic supernova explosion that will probably be simply seen from Earth, according to EarthSky.org.
Stargazers who’re thinking about exploring the lunar seas and craters of the moon ought to take a look at our roundups of the highest telescopes and binoculars obtainable in 2025. Photographers who wish to seize the majesty of Earth’s pure satellite tv for pc must also learn our final information to imaging the moon utilizing a DSLR digital camera, together with our picks for one of the best lenses and cameras for astrophotography.
Editor’s notice: If you’re taking an image of Antares with the moon and wish to share it with Space.com’s readers, please ship your picture, alongside along with your feedback, identify and site, to spacephotos@house.com.