How soon after the new moon do you see the young moon? | Essential stars

Not many people have seen a moon within a day of a new phase, and if you haven’t got one of them, you get a good chance to do so on April 12, 2021. Some will be able to see the moon with just the eyes, while others may need binoculars, just remember to wait until the sun has completely set before scanning the horizon with optical support! At the new phase of the moon, the moon orbits between the sun and the Earth in orbit, and the glare of the sun makes it almost impossible to see the moon. But it is possible to see a young moon within 24 hours of a new level if you know where and when to look. You need a smooth, clear horizon to the west, and then start watching as soon as the sun disappears for the baby’s moon that is less than 1% illuminated!

There is a new moon in April on April 12 at 2:31 PM UTC, which turns to April 11 at 9:31 pm CDT. The moon will have already set before that time, so the next evening, April 12, the moon will have just got enough separation from the sun that the moon at sunset will never be so short. in the skies, allowing you to see the movement of crescents in the setting sunset. For those in the Eastern Time Zone, the moon will be just 19 hours old, and as you move west, the moon is one hour older per time zone, but still less than 24 hours. By the time you reach Alaska, the moon just hits 24 hours after sunset.

For those who are true to eagle-eyed eyes, Venus shines at -3.9 magnitude between the setting sun and the young moon, but will be under the horizon within about 20 minutes of disappearing. sun. Times vary depending on your location, but you will have about 40 minutes between sunset and moonset to see the full moon.

Young branches are located a short distance east of the sun on the globe of the sky (because the moon is always moving east in orbit). Young branches appear to our eye as a very slender crescent, perhaps illuminated by sunlight, seen low in the western skies for a short time after sunset.

What is the youngest moon you can see? More about that below.

Which is the youngest moon able To see?

You will rarely see a moon within about 24 hours of the new level. But it turns out, if you use optical aids, you can see the moon all the way to the time of the new moon.

On July 8, 2013, a new record was set for the youngest moon ever built (see photos on this page). Thierry Legault – shot from in Elancourt, France (bank of Paris) – captured the July 2013 moon at the very moment it was new, or almost between Earth and the sun for this lunar orbit. The Legault image (below) shows the thinnest crescent moon, in daylight (naturally, since a new moon is always close to the sun in the sky), at 07:14 UTC on 8 July 2013. Legault stated on its website:

The youngest possible crescent is the age of the moon at this point just zero. There is a celestial north up in the image, as well as the sun. The irregularities and irregularities are caused by the relief at the edge of the lunar disk (mountains, craters).

Which moon is the youngest you are most likely to see with your own eyes?

How young the moon you can expect to see with your own eyes depends on the time of year and the position of the sky. The youngest branches – the thinnest crescents, closest to the sunset – can be seen around the spring equinox.

When Legault captured the image above, the sun and moon separated just 4.4 degrees – about 9 solar diameters – on the globe of the sky. Trying to capture the moon at that moment is extremely difficult, and dangerous. Not only is the sight of our companion world drowned in the bright sunlight, but there is also the danger of seeing the sun unknowingly and thus damaging your vision.

That’s why Legault used a special setting to capture the youngest moon possible. He wrote:

To reduce the glare, the images were taken in close-infrared and a screen with holes, placed directly in front of the telescope, prevents sunlight from entering the telescope directly. .

A long, though dubious, record for the youngest moon to be seen by the eye was kept by two British housewives, who reportedly saw the moon 14 3/4 hours away. after a new moon in 1916.

A more reliable record was completed by Stephen James O’Meara in May 1990; he saw the young crescent with the unsupported eye 15 hours and 32 minutes after a new moon. The record for the youngest moon seen by eye using optical aids he went to Mohsen Mirsaeed in 2002, which saw the moon 11 hours and 40 minutes after a new moon.

Wow!

And, of course, optical support strengthens your young moon’s capabilities even more.

But an immediate Legault picture on a new moon? That table can only be duplicated without exceeding it.

Bottom line: You can try to see a moon younger than 24 hours on April 12, 2021, just after sunset.

Click here to view Thierry Legault’s book on astrophotography.