- Spectacular Pre-Dawn Alignment: In the early hours of September 19, 2025, the crescent moon, dazzling planet Venus, and bright star Regulus will cluster together in an ultra-close triple conjunction livescience.com. All three will fit in roughly a half-degree circle – about the width of your little finger at arm’s length – making for one of the year’s best naked-eye sky shows livescience.com space.com.
- When & Where to See: Look east about 60–90 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 19 to spot the waning crescent moon (only ~5–6% lit) nestled near Venus and Regulus livescience.com science.nasa.gov. They’ll be very low on the horizon, so find a clear view to the east-northeast. Skywatchers across most of the world can see the trio; in North America, the East Coast will show them almost in a straight line, while the West Coast will see a tighter triangle grouping livescience.com.
- Brilliance Hierarchy: The Moon will shine brightest (even as a thin crescent), Venus will be the next blazingly bright “Morning Star,” and Regulus will appear relatively faint by comparison livescience.com. In fact, Venus (mag. –3.8) outshines Regulus (mag. +1.3) by over 100 times livescience.com. The Moon’s slender arc will also display Earthshine – a ghostly glow on its dark side from sunlight reflected off Earth livescience.com.
- Rare Cosmic Geometry: This is a rare alignment of three prominent celestial objects. NASA notes that seeing a “trio of celestial objects in a magnificent conjunction” like this is unusual science.nasa.gov. It’s a beautiful example of cosmic coincidence – the Moon (~385,000 km away), Venus (~12 light-minutes away), and Regulus (~78 light-years away) only appear close together from our perspective sciencealert.com.
- Special Treats for Some Regions: Observers in parts of northeastern Canada, Greenland, Western Europe, North Africa, and Asia get an extra thrill – the Moon will occult (cover) Venus briefly after sunrise in those locales livescience.com. In these areas, Venus will vanish behind the Moon’s sunlit edge and reappear along the dark limb a short time later in-the-sky.org universetoday.com. (Such Moon-Venus occultations are only visible from limited zones because of the Moon’s close proximity to Earth livescience.com.) Elsewhere, skywatchers will still see the Moon and Venus side-by-side, separated by a tiny gap.
- Historical & Upcoming Alignments: Triple conjunctions are celebrated but extremely rare in such tight formation space.com. Ancient skywatchers ascribed great meaning to close celestial triads – for example, in 3 BC a series of triple meetings between Jupiter (the “king” planet) and Regulus (the “king” star) was noted as an auspicious sign countingtogod.com. Modern astronomy enthusiasts liken the Sept. 19 trio to a cosmic “smiley face”, with Venus and Regulus as the eyes and the crescent Moon as a grinning mouth universetoday.com livescience.com. The last similar “smile” occurred in April 2025 when the Moon, Venus, and Saturn formed a cheeky dawn triangle livescience.com livescience.com. Looking ahead, an even rarer triple conjunction will occur on October 15, 2036, featuring the Moon, Saturn and Regulus together universetoday.com.
A Rare Celestial Trio in Context
Triple Conjunction is the term for an apparent meeting of three celestial bodies in close proximity in the sky. In astronomy, a conjunction means two or more objects share a similar line-of-sight or celestial longitude, appearing near each other from Earth’s perspective science.nasa.gov livescience.com. When three objects rendezvous in this way, it becomes a triple conjunction. Such events are special because getting three bright objects all in the same tiny patch of sky is uncommon – their orbital paths (and the tilt of those paths) rarely line up so perfectly at the same time space.com sciencealert.com.
This particular conjunction involves: our Moon, the closest and fastest-moving celestial body in our sky; Venus, the brightest planet (often called the “Morning Star” when it shines before sunrise); and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. NASA’s skywatching guide for September 2025 highlights this trio, explaining that on the morning of the 19th “the Moon will be nestled up right next to both Venus and Regulus” in a “magnificent conjunction” science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov. In practical terms, that means if you step outside before dawn, you’ll see the slender crescent Moon and Venus almost touching, with Regulus just a hair’s breadth away – a striking triangular cluster of lights against the twilight sky.
Importantly, these three are nowhere near each other in space – the Moon is a quarter-million miles from Earth, Venus is over 150 million miles away, and Regulus sits about 79 light-years distant universetoday.com universetoday.com. Yet on this date their positions align almost perfectly from our viewpoint. As one astronomy writer quipped, “the trio fits well inside a one-degree circle in the sky, [but] they’re actually a good study in astronomical distance” sciencealert.com. This captivating geometry is a reminder of how our sky can create illusions of proximity: objects that are light-years apart can appear side by side due to the alignment of their paths on the ecliptic plane (the plane of the solar system). In fact, Regulus lies almost exactly on the ecliptic – the Sun’s path – which is why the Moon and planets so often swing near it earthsky.org.
The September 19, 2025 Event: When, Where and How to Watch
Sky chart of the eastern horizon before sunrise on Sept. 19, 2025, showing the crescent Moon closely aligned with Venus and Regulus in the constellation Leo (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Mark your calendars for the pre-dawn of Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. This is when the cosmic meetup unfolds. For most locations, the ideal viewing time will be roughly between 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM local time (about 1–2 hours before your local sunrise starwalk.space). At that dark hour, look toward the east-northeast horizon in the constellation Leo (the Lion) livescience.com. Leo’s brightest star Regulus will be part of the show – fittingly, Regulus marks the Lion’s heart – and on this morning it rises alongside the Moon and Venus, creating a compact celestial triangle.
Make sure you have an unobstructed view to the east, since the trio will appear fairly low on the horizon (only a few degrees up by an hour before sunrise). City buildings, trees, or hills could block the scene if you’re not in a clear area. Observers have noted that around 5:00 AM local time (give or take, depending on your longitude) all three objects should be visible just above the eastern horizon coastreporter.net.
What to look for: First find the crescent Moon, which will be a thin sliver of a waning moon (only ~5–6% illuminated on the 19th) livescience.com. Despite its slim phase, the Moon will actually be the brightest of the trio, thanks to its close proximity and large apparent size. Just to one side of the Moon, extremely close by, will be Venus – appearing as an intense, steady white point of light. Venus is so bright (magnitude –3.8) that it should catch your eye immediately as the “second Moon” in a sense livescience.com. Meanwhile, Regulus will sit a tad farther from the Moon on the opposite side of Venus, shining at magnitude +1.3 – which is bright for a star, but faint next to Venus’s blaze livescience.com. Regulus might look like a delicate pinprick of bluish-white light. Don’t confuse it with any twinkling background stars; Regulus is the one quite close to Venus.
Depending on your location, the arrangement will look slightly different:
- In parts of North America, especially the U.S. East Coast, the Moon, Venus, and Regulus will form an almost perfect straight line oriented roughly vertically as they rise. Imagine a celestial exclamation point in the dawn! Observers in New York, for example, will see all three packed in under 1 degree of sky – “close enough to fit under a fingertip held at arm’s length,” according to one guide starwalk.space.
- On the West Coast of North America, or farther west, the trio will appear a bit higher by the time dawn breaks and will make a tight triangle shape instead of a line livescience.com. In places like California or Hawaii pre-sunrise, you might notice the Moon a little offset from Venus and Regulus, creating a small celestial triangle or “smiley face.”
- In Europe, Africa, and western Asia, this conjunction happens slightly later relative to sunrise. The objects may be in a brighter sky or even broad daylight when they align perfectly. Europeans will see the Moon and Venus extremely close after sunrise (in daylight), requiring perhaps binoculars or careful observation (taking great care to avoid the Sun!). In fact, across continental Europe and North Africa, the Moon will pass directly in front of Venus during the day on the 19th sciencealert.com – an occultation event (more on that below).
- Farther east, in places like Australia or East Asia, the timing has the trio rising not long before dawn’s light floods the sky. For example, in Sydney, Australia, by the time the Moon and Venus climb into view, morning twilight will be advanced and the grouping will appear more spread out (up to ~4° apart) starwalk.space. So the conjunction won’t be as tight or dramatic there as for observers in the Western Hemisphere. Still, keen-eyed skywatchers might catch Venus and the Moon close together even in twilight.
No matter where you are, the key is to look early – before sunrise – since the sky is darkest and the trio highest at that time. As dawn approaches, Venus and the Moon will creep higher but also the sky will brighten, making Regulus fade out and eventually even Venus will be lost in the glare. Weather permitting, those who plan ahead and perhaps set an alarm will be rewarded with a stunning sight that casual sleepers will miss!
How to Observe and Photograph the Event
Fortunately, you won’t need a telescope to enjoy this conjunction – it’s easily visible with the naked eye. In fact, binoculars can be a handy tool: by looking with binoculars, you’ll see the slender shape of the crescent Moon with Earthshine on its dark side, and you can simultaneously view Venus and Regulus in the same field of view. The whole trio might just squeeze into typical binoculars’ field (around 5–6°) if you’re in regions where they are slightly farther apart. In places like the U.S. East Coast where they’re extremely close (within ~1°), they will certainly all fit in the binocular view, appearing almost side by side starwalk.space. Earthshine – the dim glow on the Moon’s night side caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth – will make the Moon’s outline gently visible, a beautiful effect often seen during crescents livescience.com.
If you have a small telescope, you could try viewing Venus’s phase. Around this date Venus will be in a gibbous phase (~89% illuminated disk) universetoday.com, although its bright glare can make details hard to see. Through a telescope, Regulus will remain just a pinpoint and the Moon’s craters along the terminator (the day-night line) will be visible. Be careful if observing after sunrise with optics – never point binoculars or telescopes near the Sun once it’s up, as accidental sun-glance can cause serious eye injury in-the-sky.org.
Photographers may want to capture the celestial trio in the dawn sky. A DSLR or mirrorless camera on a tripod, using exposures of a second or two, can pick up the earthlit Moon and bright Venus. Compose the shot with some landscape (like silhouettes of trees or buildings) to give a sense of scale. Remember that as the sky brightens, you’ll lose the fainter objects – so try shooting while the sky is still dark blue. Many astrophotographers will undoubtedly be up early to document this “special sight” space.com.
Meet the Celestial Trio: Moon, Venus, and Regulus
Each member of this dawn trio comes with its own significance:
- The Moon: Our familiar lunar companion is a waning crescent on Sept. 19, just two days away from new moon. At only ~5% illumination, it will appear as a delicate arc in the sky livescience.com. The thin crescent adds drama to the scene – historically, such a sliver of a dying moon has been a time-keeper for calendars and a sight celebrated in cultures (for instance, marking the start of months in the Islamic calendar). You’ll notice the Moon’s “ashen light” (earthshine) on the unlit side, which Leonardo da Vinci famously explained centuries ago livescience.com. Physically, the Moon will be about 384,000 km from Earth that morning. Because the Moon is so close to us, its exact position in the sky shifts a bit depending on your location (parallax) – which is why the alignment geometry differs slightly from place to place in-the-sky.org. The Moon’s rapid motion (about one lunar diameter per hour across the sky) is carrying it towards the Sun; in fact, it will turn new on Sept. 21 and trigger a partial solar eclipse for parts of the Southern Hemisphere livescience.com.
- Venus: Venus is the second planet from the Sun and by far the brightest planet in Earth’s skies. Around this time, Venus shines at magnitude –4 (extremely bright) and rises a couple of hours before the Sun, earning its nickname “Morning Star” science.nasa.gov livescience.com. If you’ve been up before dawn in recent weeks, you likely noticed Venus blazing in the east. On Sept. 19, Venus will be just to the lower right of the Moon (from most locations) – so close that their separation is measured in arcminutes. For many onlookers, this will look like the Moon and Venus are almost touching. In Northeastern Canada and parts of Europe/Africa, they’ll more than touch – the Moon will actually cover Venus for a short while livescience.com (an event we detail below). Venus’s significance goes beyond just brightness: it has been observed by every culture as a beacon of dawn or dusk. Ancient Mayan astronomers, for example, carefully tracked Venus cycles. Although Venus is a planet, not a star, it’s often the first “star” people see in morning twilight. During this conjunction, Venus will be about 217 million km from Earth (about 12 light-minutes away) universetoday.com, and if viewed through a telescope, it shows a gibbous phase like a tiny Moon universetoday.com.
- Regulus: Regulus is a 1st-magnitude star and the luminary of Leo, positioned almost on the ecliptic (the Sun’s apparent path). Its name means “little king” in Latin – a nod to its regal status among stars earthsky.org. To ancient Persians it was one of the four “royal stars” guarding the heavens. Regulus is about 78–79 light-years away universetoday.com, a massive blue-white star (or rather, a system of four stars, with the primary being a fast-spinning blue star) earthsky.org earthsky.org. Because it lies so close to the ecliptic plane, Regulus frequently has close encounters with planets and the Moon. In fact, the Moon occults Regulus multiple times in certain years; from mid-2025 through 2026, there will be a series of about 20 occultations of Regulus by the Moon earthsky.org. Regulus itself doesn’t shine as bright as Venus or the Moon, so it may appear as a modest spark near them. But its presence is what makes this a triple conjunction (as opposed to the far more common two-object conjunctions). Culturally, Regulus has often been associated with kingship and heralded changes in leadership or seasons in astrological lore. Astronomically, having a bright star in the mix allows observers to witness an interesting phenomenon: planets can even occult Regulus on rare occasions. Venus actually passed directly in front of Regulus in 1959, and will do so again in 2044 stardate.org. During the 2025 event, Venus will come very close to Regulus in the sky but not cover it – still, it’s intriguing to contemplate the vast distance difference between them as they appear side by side.
Why This Conjunction Is Special
Triple conjunctions like this are not just pretty; they’re scientifically and historically noteworthy due to their rarity. “To see two objects in a very close conjunction is relatively rare. To see three in a perfect close alignment is almost unheard of,” noted one astronomy author space.com. Indeed, getting three celestial bodies so tightly clumped is a cosmic coincidence that doesn’t happen often in a given location’s sky.
What makes the September 19, 2025 event stand out? For one, the proximity of the objects is extreme – roughly 0.5° between each pair livescience.com. For context, the full Moon is about 0.5° wide, so all three objects would comfortably fit behind the full Moon’s disk if you could slide it over them. Many conjunctions have separations of a degree or more, but this one is ultra-close. In regions like eastern North America, the spacing is so tight that you could cover Moon, Venus, and Regulus all with just your pinky finger held out at arm’s length livescience.com.
Another aspect is the visual impact: the brightness contrast will create a “pecking order” in the sky that is quite noticeable livescience.com. The Moon will dominate (even a slim crescent is still very bright to our eyes), Venus will be the next most brilliant (outshining any true star in the sky), and Regulus will appear as a delicate accent near them livescience.com. Viewers will essentially see a miniature celestial hierarchy, which is educational – it vividly demonstrates the concept of astronomical magnitude (a negative magnitude Venus vs. a positive magnitude star) livescience.com.
For those in the areas where an occultation happens, the event gains an extra level of drama and scientific interest. A lunar occultation of Venus means observers can watch the bright planet abruptly disappear as the Moon’s dark edge covers it, then reappear from behind the glowing crescent. Such events allow for unique observations: historically, timings of occultations were used to refine orbital calculations. On this date, the occultation of Venus will be visible in broad daylight in parts of Europe and Africa (around midday local time) sciencealert.com, which is challenging to observe but possible with careful planning (and again, never pointing optics near the Sun!). In northern Canada (Nunavut, etc.) and Greenland, the Moon occults Venus under pre-dawn or twilight conditions, making it easier to witness universetoday.com universetoday.com. Seeing a star-like planet blink out behind the Moon is a reminder of the three-dimensional motions at play. Additionally, as Universe Today reported, the Moon will also barely occult Regulus for a “remote swath of northern Siberia” on the same morning universetoday.com sciencealert.com, completing an exceptionally rare double occultation (Moon covering two objects at once) – an event so geographically limited that few if any humans might see it, but remarkable nonetheless as an astronomical occurrence sciencealert.com sciencealert.com.
This cosmic arrangement even stirs the imagination – many have likened it to a celestial smiley face. When seen from certain angles (like Alaska or northern Canada), the Moon will be below Venus and Regulus, making a smiling mouth under two “eyes” universetoday.com sciencealert.com. “Sometimes, it seems as if the Universe is literally smiling down upon us,” wrote one science communicator about this very event sciencealert.com. During a similar conjunction in April 2025, NASA ambassador Brenda Culbertson commented that “the thin, crescent Moon looks like a smile… the triangle of bright objects may appear as a smiley face” to viewers livescience.com. It’s a fun and friendly way to see the sky – as if the cosmos is sending us a winking emoticon before the day begins.
Skywatching Tips and Global Perspectives
To make the most of this event, here are some quick skywatching tips:
- Plan for the Time: Figure out your local sunrise time and be out at least an hour before that. The window is narrow – roughly between when the trio rises and when dawn’s light washes them out (often just 45–90 minutes). For example, Culbertson noted that the April 25 “smiley” alignment slid into place around 5:30 AM and was lost to daylight an hour later livescience.com. Expect a similar brief window on Sept. 19.
- Look East in the Right Direction: Use the Moon as your guide. The Moon will be visible first; once you spot it, Venus will be immediately nearby. If you have a smartphone app or star chart, note where east-northeast is and the position of the constellation Leo rising. Regulus is essentially at the bottom of Leo’s “sickle” asterism (a backwards question mark shape) – but at twilight you may only see the Moon, Venus, Regulus and not much of the dimmer stars.
- Be Mindful of the Horizon: If you live in a city or somewhere with obstructions, try to get to a higher vantage point or somewhere with a clear view of the eastern horizon (like a hill or an open field facing east). The trio will be very low initially (only a few degrees above horizon at start), so even a small obstruction could hide them.
- Use Optical Aids Cautiously: Binoculars are great for enhancing the view. They’ll also help you catch Regulus if your naked-eye vision struggles with the contrast. However, stop using binoculars once the Sun is about to rise – bright daylight observation should only be attempted by experts because of the risk of accidentally catching the Sun in your field of view in-the-sky.org. If you do try to follow the Moon and Venus into the daytime (some hardcore observers will), position yourself so that the Sun is safely behind a building or mountain, and only the area of sky with the Moon/Venus is visible. Experienced observers have used the Moon as a guide to find Venus in daylight – it is possible since Venus is bright – but it requires caution and optics knowledge sciencealert.com.
- Photographing the Conjunction: Use a tripod and a camera with manual settings. A fast lens (aperture f/2.8–f/4) and relatively high ISO (800 or more) can capture the scene in low light. Try a variety of exposures (e.g. 1 second, 2 seconds) while it’s still dark, then shorter exposures as the sky brightens. Capture the Moon’s earthshine by not overexposing the crescent. Including foreground (silhouettes or landscape) can add context – e.g., the crescent moon smiling above a city skyline.
For those under the occultation zones, make sure to check specific timing for your city (resources like In-The-Sky.org in-the-sky.org or local astronomy clubs can provide the schedule in Universal Time for disappearance and reappearance of Venus). In London, for example, Venus is set to slip behind the Moon at ~12:55 BST (daylight, low in sky) and re-emerge around 14:14 BST in-the-sky.org – though both times are during daylight, meaning one would need a telescope and extreme care to observe it. In northern Canada (e.g. parts of Nunavut), the occultation happens in twilight before sunrise, which is more favorable – Venus will dramatically vanish while the sky is still dark or dawnish, a truly startling sight if you can catch it. Greenland and Iceland also lie in the occultation path, as do parts of Asia (e.g. observers in the Middle East and western Russia get a view in their late afternoon local time) in-the-sky.org in-the-sky.org. Remember, if you’re outside the occultation path, you still get a lovely conjunction; the objects will just narrowly miss each other instead of eclipsing.
Comparisons to Past and Future Events
How rare is this event? While conjunctions happen regularly, tight triple conjunctions are far less common. Astronomer and science writer David Dickinson analyzed similar events over a millennium and found only about 85 instances of such close three-object groupings from years 2000–3000 universetoday.com universetoday.com. Many of those occur under less optimal conditions (too close to the Sun, faint objects, etc.). The last time skywatchers had a comparable spectacle was April 23, 1998, when the Moon occulted Venus and Jupiter in the same morning – an exceptionally rare double-occultation that was visible from a remote location in the Atlantic universetoday.com universetoday.com. More recently, April 25, 2025 provided a picturesque triple conjunction of the Moon, Venus, and Saturn that formed a “smiley face” in the predawn sky livescience.com livescience.com, delighting observers across parts of the world (and even drawing mentions in pop culture and social media as a celestial emoticon). Another triple alignment occurred on August 15, 2025, when the Moon met Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky – though in that case the trio was a bit wider apart and not as symmetric as the September event facebook.com cowboystatedaily.com.
Looking forward, the cosmic calendar has a few more alignments in store:
- October 15, 2036: Mark this one – a triple conjunction featuring the Moon, Saturn, and Regulus is predicted universetoday.com. According to Universe Today, that grouping will also involve occultations and will likely be one of the notable “smiley face” type events of the 2030s. It’s interesting that Regulus appears again in that future conjunction (this time paired with Saturn rather than Venus).
- June 18, 2026: Not a triple conjunction, but worth noting – this date will bring the next widely visible lunar occultation of Venus after the 2025 one starwalk.space. Central and North America are slated to see the Moon cover Venus in dawn twilight then. It shows that while lunar occultations of planets happen occasionally, getting a bright star involved at the same time (like Regulus) is rarer.
- Planetary line-ups: In the coming years there will be several “planetary parade” type alignments (where multiple planets line up across the sky). For instance, in 2028 there is expected to be a close gathering of Venus, Mercury, and the Moon at dusk. But again, each configuration is unique; few achieve the compactness of our 2025 conjunction.
Historically, triple conjunctions have often been subjects of fascination. The most famous might be the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, which occurred over several months and has been speculated (though not confirmed) to be a candidate for the biblical Star of Bethlehem en.wikipedia.org. Another historical triple conjunction occurred in 3 BC when Jupiter met Regulus three times (due to retrograde motion) – ancient astrologers in Babylon would likely have viewed the “king planet” dancing with the “king star” as highly significant countingtogod.com. These events were spread out over time, not in one night, but they highlight how notable celestial groupings have been interpreted as omens or symbols. In contrast, what we witness on Sept. 19, 2025 is a simultaneous meeting of three celestial lights – something ancient skywatchers would have found jaw-dropping and perhaps divine.
Even in modern times, there’s a certain cultural buzz around these events. Media outlets often dub them “cosmic smiles” or “planetary kisses.” They remind us that the sky isn’t static – on occasion, it stages a celestial meetup that captures public imagination. In an age where many people live under light-polluted city skies, an eye-catching conjunction can be a gateway to get folks looking up and appreciating astronomy.
As NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory puts it in their monthly sky guide, such a conjunction “shines bright” as a highlight of the month science.nasa.gov. And indeed, for September 2025, this event shares the stage with the autumnal equinox (Sept. 22) and a partial solar eclipse (Sept. 21 in the Southern Hemisphere) livescience.com. It’s a rich time for skywatchers. The triple conjunction, however, is a more accessible wonder – no special equipment or travel needed, just clear weather and willingness to wake up early.
The Wonder and Significance of Triple Conjunctions
Beyond the technical details, there’s a poetic aspect to witnessing a triple conjunction. It’s a reminder of the grand celestial choreography at play. Each of the three bodies – Moon, planet, and star – is moving on its own journey governed by gravity: the Moon orbits Earth roughly once a month, Venus orbits the Sun in about 225 days, and Regulus hurtles around the galaxy with a motion perceptible only over centuries stardate.org stardate.org. On this one morning, their paths converge in our line of sight, allowing us to see a kind of cosmic alignment that, while coincidental, feels almost designed. No wonder human cultures have attached meaning to such sights.
For instance, in astrology (not science, but culturally influential), a conjunction of Venus and the Moon is seen as a positive, beautiful omen; adding Regulus, the star of royalty, would amplify that symbolism – a triple conjunction could suggest a rare convergence of luck or significance. In astronomy outreach, these events are priceless opportunities to engage the public. Planetariums and observatories often host special early-morning viewings. Enthusiasts share tips on social media and the excitement is contagious. As one science news outlet cheerily advertised, “Look up this week to see a rare triple conjunction smiling down” sciencealert.com – framing the event as if the universe itself is sending a grin to Earth.
Historically, triple conjunctions that were visible worldwide would have been recorded in chronicles. We can imagine ancient observers in different civilizations all noting, on the same date, an uncanny grouping of a crescent moon with two “stars” (one of which is a planet Venus). Such an event might have entered lore or been inscribed in records. Today, with our knowledge, we can predict and understand these occurrences, but the sense of awe remains the same when you see it with your own eyes.
In the end, the September 19, 2025 Moon-Venus-Regulus conjunction is a must-see for anyone who can manage to wake up for it. It combines scientific rarity with simple visual beauty. As Live Science described it, “this triple conjunction of naked-eye objects is a rare sight worth trying to see” livescience.com. Whether you’re an avid astronomer or just a casual sky gazer, make a plan to step outside on that Friday morning. With clear skies, you’ll witness a dazzling celestial triad that will surely leave you with a sense of wonder – and perhaps a feeling that the cosmos smiled at you to start your day.
Sources:
- Carter, J. (2025). Live Science – How to see the moon, Venus and the bright star Regulus in an ultraclose conjunction livescience.com livescience.com livescience.com
- NASA/JPL – What’s Up: September 2025 Skywatching Tips science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov
- Dickinson, D. (2025). Universe Today / ScienceAlert – Rare Triple Conjunction “Smiley Face” at Dawn sciencealert.com sciencealert.com sciencealert.com
- EarthSky.org – September 19, 2025: Moon, Venus, Regulus! earthsky.org earthsky.org
- Space.com – 15 Spectacular Moon Events in 2025 space.com; Stargazing Highlights space.com
- Live Science (Apr 2025) – “Smiley face” conjunction of Moon, Venus, Saturn livescience.com livescience.com
- StarDate (McDonald Observatory) – StarDate Podcast for Sept. 18, 2025 stardate.org stardate.org
- In-The-Sky.org – Lunar Occultation of Venus, Sept 19, 2025 in-the-sky.org in-the-sky.org
- Universe Today – Occultation visibility maps and event analysis universetoday.com universetoday.com universetoday.com
