Last night, after reading Kirsty's blog, I discovered that the planet Venus was really bright in the sky and was near the moon so Elena (in her jimjams) & I, went outside to see if we could capture a photo. Now I don't have the steadiest hand in the world but I was quite pleased all thing considered. 
Note to self: ask Father Christmas for a tripod!! So we came back indoors and googled 'moon venus' and this is what we discovered ...
The 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, Mars & Saturn.
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.
Note to self: ask Father Christmas for a tripod!! So we came back indoors and googled 'moon venus' and this is what we discovered ...The 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, Mars & Saturn.
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.
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