2020, April 26: Venus and the Crescent Moon

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Brilliant Venus and the Crescent Moon, April 26, 2020
2020: April 26: The crescent moon appears near Venus as the brilliant planet approaches the star Elnath.

This evening, brilliant Venus and the crescent moon – 4.0 days past its New phase and 14% illuminated – shine from the west. Add the star Elnath – the Northern Horn of Taurus – to the group for a nice triangle. The moon is 7.1° to the left Venus and 6.7° to the lower left of Elnath. Venus is 5.6° to the lower right of Elnath. The addition to the scene is the Southern Horn of Taurus, Zeta Tauri, that is 5.0° to the upper left of the moon.

Notice that the short time exposure captures Earthshine on the moon, reflected sunlight from Earth. This light gently illuminates the night portion of the moon. You can see it with a binocular.

Read this article for more about Venus as an Evening Star.

Next month, Venus approaches Elnath for a quasi (near) conjunction. Read more about that here.

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