Derekscope

• Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation – that’s meaning it will be difficult visible in the early morning sky, so at these times.
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• Mercury will be at its farthest apparent distance from the Sun as viewed from Earth.
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• Spica will be visible close to the Moon ~ easy to spot.
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• The Moon is at full phase (Full Moon), binoculars may help you spot Spica more easily next to the Moon.
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• It will be in the constellation Virgo and is traditionally called the Pink Moon* for the US or Egg Moon* for the UK , it’s not about the Moon turning pink ~ it’s about spring arriving.
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• Best spectacle
  – Moonrise on Wednesday 1st April or moonset on Thursday 2nd April, when the Moon appears oversized due to the Moon illusion.
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• Traditional Full Moon Names and their Meanings
  – Full Moon names reflect seasonal changes and natural rhythms observed by early cultures, particularly those influenced by UK colonial traditions and Native American heritage.
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  – Learn more about traditional Full Moon Names and their Meanings ~ Read more*.
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Lunar occultation of Regulus (Alpha Leonis)
(The Moon occults Regulus in Leo.)

• The Moon really does occult Regulus on tonight, and it’s one of the headline lunar events of the year.
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• The Moon passes directly in front of Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, creating a lunar occultation.
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• This is when the Moon hides a star completely from view.
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• Visibility: Parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and western Russia.
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(Photo above The Jewelled Handle ~ Image by Derek Rowley)
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• The Jewel Handle or Golden Handle
  The Moon’s Golden Handle is visible from the UK once each lunar month, roughly 2-4 days after First Quarter Moon, when the Sun grazes the Montes Jura and lights their peaks while Sinus Iridum is still in darkness ~ this creates the bright “handle” effect along the terminator.
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• After the First Quarter Moon (half-moonlit), the Moon increases towards the Full Moon in the waxing gibbous phase ~ the time when the Jewelled handle shines brightest.
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• This effect is only visible for a few days each month ~ roughly 2-4 days after the first quarter Moon.
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• Equipment
  You will need a small telescope or binoculars (8×42 or 10×50) are enough to show the arc beautifully.
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• The Moon passes very close to M44, the Beehive Cluster in Cancer.
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• This is called an appulse ~ the Moon doesn’t cover the cluster, but the two appear close together in the sky.
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• This means the Moon will be bright, but the pairing is still easy to spot, and binoculars will show the cluster nicely.
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• Tonight, you get two cool things:
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  – The Moon and Jupiter look close together.
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  – Ganymede reappears into view after hiding behind Jupiter.
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• Mars reaches perihelion today at 06:41am, when it is at its closest distance to the Sun: 1.38 AU.
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• An AU in astronomy is a unit of distance equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, defined precisely as about 93 million miles:
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  ………– Sun to Mercury about 1.5 AU (average 36 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Venus about 0.72 AU (around 67 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Earth about 1 AU (average 93 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Mars about 1.5 AU (average 140 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Jupiter about 5.2 AU (average 484 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Saturn about 9.6 AU (average 891 million miles)
  ………– Sun to Uranus about 19.2 AU (average 1.78 billion miles)
  ………– Sun to Neptune about 30 AU (average 2.8 billion miles)
  
  

• The Moon reaches its exact Last Quarter phase at 19:19 / 7.19pm this evening.
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• Moonrise at 10:07am on 9th February, Transit at 19:10pm and moonset at 03:20am on Thursday 26th March.
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• Lunar X and Lunar V
  Sunlight catches rims at lunar first quarter to create the bright V and X shapes.

• Best viewing time in the UK
  The phenomenon begins later in the day compared to the February event – all times are given in GMT.
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  –…Today: Wednesday 25th March 2026
  –…Start formation: 21:45 / 9.45pm (become visible)
  –…Peak visibility: 23:45 / 11.45pm (fully formed as best contrast)
  –…Fade disappearing: 01:45 / 1.45am (Thursday 26th February)
  –…Visible: excellent (high in the sky in late evening.)
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• The Moon repeats its cycle every 29½ days, so these effects happen every month, just on slightly different dates – see the complete full timetable for 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
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• Equipment
  While sometimes visible with high-power binoculars, a telescope is recommended to see the fine detail of the crater rims forming the Lunar X and V.
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