This week’s Starwatch is a challenge but a beautiful reward awaits for anyone who succeeds. The question is: how early in the evening can we find Venus? On Monday, the bright planet has a close encounter with a young crescent moon.
The moon will be just over three days old with about 14% of its visible surface illuminated. Unfortunately for UK observers, the two make their closest approach during daylight, passing within a moon’s width of one another around lunchtime. By the evening they will have separated a little, but they will still make an attractive pairing for observers with a particularly good view towards the south-west.
The chart shows the view looking south-west from London at 6.30pm. The sun will still be above the horizon, so do not use any visual equipment and avoid looking directly at the sun with the naked eye. First look for the slender crescent moon, low in the south-western sky.
Once you have found it, use it as your guide to Venus nearby. As the sun sinks lower, Venus should become progressively easier to see, although the moon and planet will be descending towards the horizon. From the southern hemisphere, the moon and Venus are also visible together, appearing higher in the evening sky after sunset.
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