Crescent Moon Moves Toward Spica

Early risers on Tuesday morning, December 24 will see the pretty sight of the waning crescent moon shining in the southern sky close to Libra’s brightest star, Spica. The star will be twinkling a few finger widths to the moon’s lower left (or celestial southeast) from about 3 a.m. local time to the onset of civil twilight. Hours later, observers in a zone extending from eastern China, most of Japan, and the northernmost islands of the Philippines and southeast through Micronesia, most of Melanesia, and Polynesia can watch the moon occult Spica. Use an app like Starry Night or Sky Safari to look up the times for the occultation.