Moon swings by Venus September 1 and 2
This is a nighttime image of a crescent moon near the planet Venus, taken April 19, 2007.
Credit: Raymond Shobe
Monday, September 1, 2008.
Depending on where you live, you might be able to see a thin waxing crescent in the west today – or tomorrow.
Venus is up there, too. Venus and the moon are bright, but they’re also in bright twilight now – near the western horizon after sunset. In the Americas, the moon and Venus pair up closely after sunset today. From Europe and Asia, the moon and Venus might be easier to see at dusk tomorrow.
Bright twilight will make these worlds tough to see. The setting time for the moon and Venus varies widely this evening, depending upon your latitude. At middle and far-northern latitudes, the moon and planets set before dark – less than an hour after sunset. But south of the equator, the moon and Venus stay out much longer – until well after dark.
The southern hemisphere has a much better view of the evening crescent moon and Venus, because it’s late winter now in that part of the world. The ecliptic – or pathway of the sun, moon and planets – arcs high across the southern hemisphere’s late-winter evening sky. Meanwhile, on our part of the globe – where it’s late summer – the evening ecliptic follows a low path. So the moon and Venus sit close to the horizon at sunset and set soon after the sun.
This is interesting. I hope I can get to see it! ;D