Overview
- The crescent Moon will occult Venus on Wednesday, June 17, centered near 4:40 p.m. EDT, producing a short disappearance and later reappearance of the bright planet for observers at site-specific times.
- Visibility will span northeastern South America after sunset and much of the Caribbean, the contiguous United States, northern Mexico and southern Canada in daylight, with exact start and end times listed by the International Occultation Timing Association and In‑The‑Sky.org.
- Watchers are advised to stand in a building shadow, scan the blue sky with binoculars to locate the 11%‑lit crescent Moon and nearby Venus, and expect that once found the pair may be visible to the naked eye.
- Do not point binoculars or telescopes toward the Sun because even a brief glance through optics can cause permanent eye damage; experts recommend modest optics, shielding the Sun from view, and using livestreams or camera telephoto setups if unsure.
- The event offers a public engagement and imaging opportunity because Venus will shine near magnitude −4 about 38° from the Sun, the Moon will pass over the planet in seconds at disk scale though total local durations vary, and related skyshows include a later occultation of the Beehive cluster and two more lunar occultations of Venus in September and November 2026.