In the early hours of 11 July, the waning crescent moon will be gliding past the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters. The chart shows the view looking east-north-east from London at 3am BST. By then, the sky will be getting ready to start brightening for the coming day, so a clear, low horizon will be essential to see the pairing.
Observing the Moon and Pleiades
The moon will be the easiest object to find: a thin crescent, just a few days old, with only 15% of its visible hemisphere illuminated. Its sunlit limb will be pointing down toward the horizon. The compact smudge of the Pleiades will be just off from the opposite, dark limb. With the naked eye, the cluster often looks like a mini version of the Plough. Despite its common name, most people see only six stars with the naked eye. However, if you have a pair of binoculars to hand, you will see many more stars.
Mars Also Visible
Mars will also be nearby, though even lower toward the horizon in Taurus, the Bull. It will be a difficult but rewarding spot if you can pick it out of the rapidly brightening sky. The view is also visible from the southern hemisphere, but Taurus rises in the north-east.
