May 18, 2026: See the closest Venus–Moon conjunction of this evening apparition as brilliant Venus shines beside the crescent moon after sunset. Learn when and where to look.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:28 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:07 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Close Venus-Moon Conjunction
Tonight, the closest Venus–Moon conjunction of this evening apparition occurs for sky watchers across North America. An hour after sunset, brilliant Venus, over 15° above the west-northwest horizon, is 2.4° to the moon’s lower left. This is one of the best evening sky scenes of the year and an easy sight for anyone stepping outside during twilight.
This evening’s pairing is the closest during this evening appearance that lasts into early autumn. The planet is near its highest at this time interval after sunset. This occurs when Venus is near the sun’s position at the summer solstice, when the sun makes its highest and longest arc across the sky. During this interval of the apparition, Venus sets 2 hours, 40 minutes after sunset and dominates the western sky.
At the next Venus–Moon conjunction on June 17, the gap is 2.9°, and it is wider at each subsequent pairing. Additionally, the ecliptic’s angle with the horizon diminishes so that when the moon passes by during July, Venus’ setting interval after sunset is over 30 minutes shorter than tonight, and it is nearly 5° lower at mid-twilight. At the August conjunction, Venus’ setting interval after sunset is an hour earlier than tonight. This evening’s conjunction combines a close gap, a higher altitude, and a darker sky than later pairings.
Binocular View
Venus and the lunar crescent easily fit into the same binocular field of view. Through a telescope, Venus shows an evening gibbous phase, 83% illuminated. The brilliant planet and the thin lunar crescent make a striking contrast in brightness and color.
Earthshine
Look for earthshine, a gentle illumination of the moon’s night portion from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. Photograph it with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Use various zoom settings and exposure times to capture the moon with Jupiter and Venus or by itself. Fading twilight and earthlit crescent make this an excellent evening for photography.
Venus Moves Towards Jupiter
Venus steps eastward in front of Taurus, crossing Gemini’s border tomorrow. It is moving toward a conjunction with bright Jupiter, nearly 22° to the upper left, on June 9. Watch the gap between them close from night to night as the two brightest planets in the evening sky move toward a spectacular conjunction.
The Jovian Giant slowly rambles eastward 6.5° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the twins.
Tomorrow evening, the moon is between Venus and Jupiter as its phase grows during its eastward sojourn.
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