TOLEDO, Ohio — If you’re an early riser (or willing to become one), the morning of Saturday, Sept. 20, promises one of the best naked-eye sky events of the year: a slim crescent moon, the brilliant planet Venus, and the bright star Regulus coming into close alignment in the constellation Leo.
What’s happening
These three celestial objects will appear very near one another in the sky — Venus and Regulus will be especially close (less than ½ degree apart in some regions), forming what astronomers call an ‘ultraclose conjunction.’
The Moon will be a narrow crescent, just a few days away from a new moon. The unlit portion of the Moon may appear faintly visible thanks to Earthshine — sunlight reflecting off Earth and lighting up the dark side.
Venus will outshine Regulus by a large margin — Venus around magnitude -3.8, Regulus much fainter (around +1.3 to +1.4) but still easily visible if skies are reasonably clear.
When and where to look up
Best time: About 1 to 2 hours before sunrise is ideal. The sky will still be dark enough, but the objects will be rising in the east-northeast…