The Sky Today on Friday, September 19: Regulus, Venus, and the Moon line up

Venus and the Moon rise together near Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, in the predawn sky. The trio is a lovely pairing perfect for skyscape photos.
By | Published: September 19, 2025

The sky September 19, 2025, at 5:45 AM CDT, looking east
Venus, the Moon, and Regulus line up Sept. 19 for a stunning morning spectacle. This chart shows the sky an hour before sunrise from 40° north and 90° west. Your view will differ depending on your location. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • On a specified date, the Moon will pass 0.8° north of Venus and 1.3° north of Regulus (magnitude 1.4), with Venus and Regulus separated by less than 0.5°.
  • This celestial trio will rise around 4:30 A.M. local daylight time, appearing nearly vertically aligned along the U.S. East Coast, with the Moon above Venus and Regulus below. Their relative positions will shift over time due to the Moon's faster northeastward movement.
  • Optimal viewing is approximately one hour before dawn, when the trio reaches an altitude exceeding 10° in the eastern sky within the constellation Leo. Venus will exhibit approximately 90% illumination and an apparent disk diameter of 11”.
  • Observers in certain parts of Europe, Greenland, and northern Canada may witness a lunar occultation of Venus.
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store

The Moon passes 0.8° north of Venus and 1.3° north of magnitude 1.4 Regulus at 8 A.M. EDT, all with Venus less than 0.5° from Regulus as well.

The trio rises together around 4:30 A.M. local daylight time. Along the U.S. East Coast, the three are nearly in a vertical line as they rise, with Venus sandwiched between the Moon above it and Regulus below. Both the Moon and Venus are moving northeast (toward the lower left on the sky), with the Moon moving quicker than the planet. The line they create, with Regulus as the stationary base, slowly skews in this direction as the hours pass.

The best time to catch the scene is about an hour before dawn from any location, when the trio is more than 10° high in the east, huddled together in southwestern Leo. All three should show up well in skyscape photos. Through a telescope, Venus is nearly 90 percent lit and its disk stretches 11” wide. 

Some locations in Europe, Greenland, and far Northern Canada will see the Moon pass in front of Venus, rather than simply close to the planet — you can find location-dependent details on the International Occultation Timing Association’s site here. 

Sunrise: 6:45 A.M.
Sunset: 7:02 P.M.
Moonrise: 4:24 A.M.
Moonset: 6:10 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (5%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.

For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column. 

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