Overview
- The thin waxing crescent Moon and Venus appeared very close together low over the western horizon after sunset on Sunday, Sept. 13, forming a brief, easy-to-photograph pairing with the star Spica nearby.
- Astronomical trackers predict the Moon will pass directly in front of Venus at about 0926 GMT on Monday, Sept. 14, for observers across parts of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and southern India.
- Practical visibility is limited because the occult occurs in daylight for many of the regions where it is geometrically possible, so a flat, unobstructed western horizon and precise local timing are essential.
- Venus is unusually bright right now, near its greatest illuminated extent at about magnitude –4.8, which makes the evening conjunction and astrophoto opportunities especially striking through the rest of the week.
- Observers should expect a short, low-altitude event with possible earthshine on the lunar crescent, and those who cannot see the daytime occult can still catch the easy-to-find evening pairing and photograph it with binoculars or a wide-view camera.