Moon occults Venus, 9:00 aThe Moon will blot out Venus Friday as seen from some locations in Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. In the United States and elsewhere the two objects will be strikingly close to each other.
The Moon will appear to visit Venus Thursday evening, too, and stop by two other planets over the weekend.
The main event will occur during daylight Friday. But Venus is so bright now that it can be seen during the day if an observer knows exactly where to look. The Moon, which is not so hard to find during the day, makes for a good guidepost.
The pairing will occur about 25 degrees East of the Sun. Your fist at arms-length covers about 10 degrees of sky. Don't look directly at the Sun, neither with your unaided eyes nor through binoculars, as serious eye damage can result.
The Moon has just emerged from its new phase and will appear as a very thin crescent.
What to expect
At mid-latitudes in North America, Venus and the Moon will rise together around 7:30 a.m. local time Friday in the eastern sky, already close to each other and below the Sun. By mid-morning the thin crescent Moon should be fairly easy to find. Venus will be slightly above and to its right. You'll be able to cover both of them with a couple of fingers on your outstretched arm.
By mid-afternoon, the pair will be in the southwestern sky and above the Sun. Venus will now be below and to the right of the Moon as they grow farther apart. At sunset, Venus will emerge as an obvious beacon beneath the Moon and above where the Sun went down.
Binoculars will aid in the search for Venus during the day. Find the Moon, then scan nearby. Again, be careful not to look at the Sun.
Europeans will see a full occultation, in which the Moon passes directly in front of Venus during the mid-day.
Four nights of viewing
For all viewers, Venus and the Moon will be near each other Thursday, too, with the bright planet above the Moon in the western evening sky. On Saturday evening, the Moon will be between Venus and the closely paired Saturn and Mars. Then on Sunday, the Moon will hover above Saturn and Mars.
Venus is a thin crescent right now, too. The inner planet changes phases from our point of view in much the same manner as the Moon. Powerful binoculars or a small telescope will reveal the intriguing shape.
Precise timings for the occultation, along with a map of where it occurs, are available from the International Occultation Timing Association. The chart shows Universal Time for the beginning and end of the event for various cities; each entry must be converted to local time.
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