Yesterday, in the sky above the small village of Cessy, France, keen observers spotted the Moon peeking out from behind clouds. Soon after, the planet Venus emerged as a bright dot just behind the Moon. A single exposure captured both celestial bodies, revealing their crescent phases. The Moon, with only about 10% of its surface illuminated by sunlight, appeared faint, while Venus, reflecting more light due to its closer position to the Sun and more reflective clouds, exhibited a brightness owing to about 25% illumination.
This occurrence was noteworthy as the occultation of Venus by the Moon is visible to only about 10% of Earth but was largely overshadowed by daylight during this event.
For more images and details, visit NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) at science.nasa.gov/apod. Tomorrow’s feature is titled “galactic eye.”
