Look west after sunset on May 20 to witness the waxing crescent moon line up with bright Jupiter. The pair will remain visible for a few hours after sunset, before slipping from view below the spring horizon.
The moon will appear to line up with the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini as the sun sets, with Jupiter‘s dazzling light shining less than 10 degrees to its lower right — roughly the width of a clenched fist held at arm’s length.
Venus, meanwhile, will hug the horizon to the right of Jupiter, appearing as a bright “evening star” that will be a fixture of the night sky over the coming months. Observing the rocky world with a 4-inch telescope or larger reveals the slow progression of its changing phases on its pale, featureless disk — just be sure that the sun is tucked safely below the horizon before you point your scope to the west.
A 6-inch telescope can reveal Jupiter’s cloud bands and features like the Great Red Spot, along with its four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Slew your scope over to the moon to reveal dramatic craters lining the day-night divide. You may also spot the dark oval of Mare Crisium and farther south, Mare Fecunditatis, ancient basalt plains formed by lava billions of years ago. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice the moon drift further away from Jupiter over the course of the evening, as the moon continues its orbit around Earth.
Venus will be the first of the cosmic trio to set below the horizon roughly two and a half hours after the sun, with Jupiter next and the crescent moon following roughly half an hour after midnight, for stargazers in the northeastern U.S. Remember, the exact timings that solar system bodies rise and set varies based on your location, so use Time and Date’s skywatching tracker to get exact timings for your location.
Interested in exploring the wonders of the lunar surface for yourself? Then read our picks for the best telescopes for observing the night sky in 2026, along with our guide to observing the lunar surface.
Editor’s Note: If you capture a photo of the moon with Jupiter and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your image(s), comments and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
