The delicate waning crescent Moon stands directly to the left of the bright planet Venus before dawn. An hour before sunrise, the pair is some 10° high in the east, easily visible together in Pisces the Fish.
The Moon is now just 11 percent illuminated, well on its way to New in just two days. Through binoculars or a telescope, only a sliver of its western limb is illuminated, while the rest is in shadow. However, you might notice that even the shadowed regions of the lunar surface are visible, thanks to sunlight reflecting off Earth — a phenomenon called earthshine.
Telescopic observers, move next to Venus, sitting to the Moon’s right. It’s the brightest point of light in the morning sky, shining at magnitude –4.5. The disk spans an impressive 26” and is now a 45-percent-lit crescent. Venus is approaching dichotomy, the time when it appears exactly half-lit by the Sun. It will reach this phase June 1, so watch its crescent grow ever-so-slightly over the next few days.
Sunrise: 5:38 A.M.
Sunset: 8:17 P.M.
Moonrise: 3:39 A.M.
Moonset: 5:42 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (9%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
