Skywatcher Photos: Dazzling Views of Venus & the Moon

By Tariq Malik
published

Venus & the Moon: Truckee Lights

David Smoyer

The bright moon and planet Venus shine over the city of Truckee, Calif., on Dec. 26, 2011 in this photo by skywatcher David Smoyer.

Venus & the Moon by Jeffrey Berkes

Jeffrey Berkes

Astrophotographer Jeffrey Berkes of West Chester, Pa., snapped this stunning view of planet Venus and the crescent moon during a bright conjunction on Dec. 26, 2011.

Venus & the Moon Over Kent, CT

Scott Tully

The crescent moon and Venus shine bright over the Housatonic River in Kent, Conn., on Dec. 26, 2011 during a dazzling conjunction. This photo was taken by skywatcher Scott Tully.

Venus & the Moon Over Texas

Ted Mauerer

Skywatcher Ted Mauerer caught this extra bright Christmas lights display on Dec. 26, 2011, when Venus and the moon were shining bright together over his Texas neighborhood.

Venus & the Moon Over Texas by Ted Mauerer

Ted Mauerer

Skywatcher Ted Mauerer snapped this eye-catching image on Dec. 26, 2011, when Venus and the moon were shining bright together over his Texas neighborhood.

Venus & the Moon by David Smoyer

David Smoyer

The crescent moon and Venus shine near each other on Dec. 26, 2011 during a bright conjunction captured here by skywatcher David Smoyer of Truckee, Calif.

Venus & the Moon Together by Pat Curry

Pat Curry

The crescent moon of Dec. 26, 2011 is partially illuminated by light reflected from Earth (Earthshine) in this view during its conjunction with Venus as seen by skywatcher Pat Curry on Dec. 26, 2011 from Chester County, Pa.

Crescent Moon Over Kent, CT

Scott Tully

Skywatcher Scott Tully snapped this amazing view of the crescent moon on Dec. 28, 2011 while the moon appeared close to the planet Venus at sunset. The moon's dark section is illuminated by light reflected from Earth, called Earthshine.

Venus & the Moon: Contrails

David Smoyer

An airplane flies across a purple twilight sky with the crescent moon bright in the background on Dec. 26, 2011 in this photo by skywatcher David Smoyer.

Venus & the Moon by Jeffrey Berkes

Jeffrey Berkes

Astrophotographer Jeffrey Berkes of West Chester, Pa., snapped this stunning view of planet Venus and the crescent moon during a bright conjunction on Dec. 26, 2011.

Venus & the Moon in Daylight by Pat Curry

Pat Curry

The crescent moon and Venus shine bright on Dec. 26, 2011 as daylight wanes in Chester County, Pa., in this photo snapped by skywatcher Pat Curry.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.