There’s a lovely little bit of sky magic coming up this weekend.
On the night of Saturday, April 25, 2026, skywatchers across parts of the eastern United States, Central America, and northeastern South America will have a chance to see the waxing gibbous Moon pass directly in front of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, the Lion. At the time of the event, the Moon will be about 71% illuminated.
Astronomers call this an occultation. That is simply when one object in the sky moves in front of another and temporarily hides it from view. In this case, the Moon will briefly blot out Regulus, one of the sky’s standout stars.
And what makes this especially fun is that Regulus is no dim speck. It is a 1st-magnitude star, bright enough to stand out even in moonlit skies, and it lies about 78 light-years away from Earth. The light you’ll see left that star decades ago, only to be cut off in an instant by our much closer cosmic neighbor.
What you’ll see
If you are in the right place with clear skies, the show can be surprisingly dramatic.
As the Moon moves eastward in its orbit, its darker edge will creep closer and closer to Regulus. Then, in a blink, the star will vanish. Not fade. Not slowly dim. Just disappear. That sudden “switching off” happens because stars are so far away they appear as pinpoints of light, even through a telescope.
Later, Regulus will reappear from the Moon’s bright edge. That part can be trickier to catch because of the Moon’s glare, but it is every bit as fascinating. Occultations are really two events in one: the disappearance and the reappearance.
Why this is such a neat thing to watch
For me, events like this are a wonderful reminder that the sky is alive with motion.
Night after night, the Moon is constantly shifting its position against the background stars. Every now and then, it lines up perfectly with one of the brighter stars along its path. Only four 1st-magnitude stars lie close enough to the Moon’s path to be occulted this way: Regulus, Spica, Antares, and Aldebaran.
This event also reveals something important about the Moon itself. Because the Moon does not have a thick atmosphere, Regulus won’t slowly fade away as it disappears. It will cut off sharply. If the Moon had a dense atmosphere, the star’s light would blur and dim first. That crisp vanishing act is one of the clearest demonstrations that the Moon is essentially airless.
Can beginners see it?
Yes — especially if you have binoculars or a small telescope.
Along the Eastern Seaboard, some observers may be able to spot Regulus with the unaided eye before it disappears because the sky will be darker there by event time. Farther west, the occultation happens in brighter twilight, near sunset, or even in daylight, so binoculars or a telescope become much more important. Reappearance is usually harder to see without optics because it happens at the Moon’s bright limb.
A telescope is the best tool here because magnification helps cut through the Moon’s glare and makes it much easier to see the star right up to the moment it disappears — and again when it pops back into view.
How to prepare
My advice is simple:
Get outside early and give yourself time to get oriented. Find the Moon first, then look for Regulus nearby in Leo. Keep your attention on the Moon’s darker edge, because that is where the star will vanish first. If you have binoculars, use them. If you have a small telescope, even better.
And don’t be discouraged if the event happens in a bright sky from your location. Even daytime or twilight occultations can sometimes be seen with optical aid.
A rare chance worth taking
These lunar meetings with Regulus come in cycles. The current occultation season for Regulus began in July 2025 and wraps up in December 2026. After that, the next time the Moon will cover Regulus for observers in the United States will not be until June 27, 2036.
So this is not the kind of sky event you’ll want to casually put off for “next time.”
Final thoughts
There is something wonderfully humbling about watching the Moon, a world just next door on the cosmic scale, briefly hide the light of a distant star that has been shining toward us for 78 years.
It is quiet. It is simple. And yet it puts the clockwork beauty of the universe on full display.
So if skies are clear where you live this Saturday night, step outside and look up.
You might just catch the heart of the Lion disappear before your eyes.
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