Venus and the Moon

If the weather is clear later today (which doesn't seem very likely at time of writing), Venus and the crescent moon should make a nice pairing in the evening sky. Venus of course has been at its brilliant best in recent months, so brilliant in fact that you can see it in daylight if you know where to look. It helps if the sun is shielded by a building or a tree, but the real trick is getting your eyes to focus to infinity while staring at an apparently featureless blue sky.

The moon and Venus, June 2007

Your chances of seeing Venus during the daytime are greatly improved if something prominent like the Moon is nearby, as it was during the occultation of 18 June 2007. The image above was taken at half past four in the afternoon, shortly after Venus emerged from behind the moon's limb.

Venus will continue to dominate the evening sky for the next month, before passing in front of the sun's disc on June 5th-6th (the last such transit until 2117!).