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Venus will encounter a thin crescent moon on Tuesday, April 2 and you will be able to catch the heavenly couple together in the dawn sky.
The 27-day moon will pass about 2.5 degrees south of the brilliant planet Venus when it gets closer to the planet at 02:11 (EDT) (6:11 GMT), according to the skywatching website In-The-Sky.org. About two hours earlier, the two objects will be together, which means that they will share the same ascension right, or celestial longitude.
During this conjunction and close approach, Venus and the Moon will be below the horizon for observers in the United States. However, they will still appear together when they get up in the dawn sky a few hours later.
Related: When, where and how to see the planets in the 2019 night sky
To get the best view possible, you must search for a flat, clear horizon to the east, unobstructed by buildings, trees or mountains. This is because Venus and the moon will still be quite close to the horizon when the sun will rise and wash them with daylight.
In New York, for example, Venus will rise at 5:24, followed by a moonrise at 5:43 am local time. The pair will be visible about an hour before sunrise at 6:38 am, when it will be only 9 degrees above the horizon. For reference, your fist held at arm's length is about 10 degrees large. You can determine at what time the sun, the moon and the planets rise and settle exactly from your Astronomy Calculator at timeanddate.com.
Observers from the southern hemisphere will have a better view of Venus and the moon this week, as the planet will rise even earlier in this part of the globe. On the other hand, observers in the Far North may not see the pair at all, because they will rise too close to the sun, according to EarthSky.org.
As the moon passes near Venus on Tuesday morning (April 2), keep an eye on the planets Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury as well. This map of the sky shows their approximate view from New York at 6:15 am local time. (Click on the upper right corner to zoom in.)
Over the next few days, the crescent moon will become thinner and thinner until it disappears on April 5 when it reaches new phase. While the moon is temporarily absent from the night sky, you can take a look at other visible planets. Jupiter and Saturn will already be high in the sky when Venus will rise every morning and Mars will be visible a few hours after sunset. And if you do morning observation early in the morning, keep an eye out for the tiny planet Mercury, which will be dimly visible near the horizon just before sunrise.
Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her. @hannekescience. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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