SIGNS IN THE HEAVENs...

Two crescents — the Moon and Venus — meet in the sky in the wee hours of June 19th.

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The waning crescent moon is taking aim at the planet Venus as we speak. Relative to the backdrop stars and planets of the zodiac, the moon travels about 1/2 degree (the moon’s own angular diameter) eastward per hour, or about 13 degrees eastward per day. On June 18, a thinner waning crescent moon will be closer to Venus on the sky’s dome than on June 17. Then, on June 19, an even slenderer crescent will meet up with the queen planet, to showcase a close conjunction of nighttime’s two brightest heavenly bodies: the moon and Venus.

On June 19, if you’re at just the right place worldwide, you can watch the moon occult (cover over) Venus, though the event will be taking place almost exclusively in a daytime sky. You’ll probably need binoculars or a telescope to witness the occultation. Venus disappears beneath the moon’s illuminated side and then reappears from behind the moon’s dark side an hour or so later. Use care if using an optical aid, as the moon and Venus won’t be that far from the sun. For your safety, and to enhance the view, have someone block out the sun with an umbrella or some such thing, but otherwise providing an open view of the moon and Venus.

Should weather conditions be favorable, be sure to set your alarm clock for around 4 a.m. local time on Friday, June 19th, then proceed to a location where you have a clear and unobstructed view of the east-northeast horizon. A beautiful celestial tableau will be your reward, as an exceedingly thin crescent Moon rises in close proximity to the brightest planet in our sky.

Early risers who are up at this hour, and who are unaware or have no advance notice, will certainly wonder as they cast a casual glance toward the skinny Moon that morning: What is that “large silvery star”? Sometimes, such an occasion causes a sudden spike of phone calls to local planetariums, radio and TV stations and even police precincts. Not a few of these calls excitedly inquire about “the UFO” that is hovering in close vicinity of our natural satellite.

The object keeping close company with the Moon on this particular June morning will be dazzling Venus (magnitude -4.5), the unrivaled morning star whose dawn appearance will soar to magnificent prominence during the summer months.

Most observers in the U.S. will see Venus and the Moon pair up: As seen from the western U.S., Venus and the Moon will appear only roughly 2° apart; from the central U.S. they’ll appear even closer together, only about 1° apart. And along the East Coast the gap between them will amount to less than a degree.

THE MOON HIDES VENUS

But those living in northern and eastern New York, New England, and the Canadian Maritimes, await an even more spectacular sight. As the Moon comes up above the horizon, it will be hiding Venus behind it. Some minutes later, Venus will emerge dramatically from behind the Moon’s dark limb – the end of its occultation.

Readers can readily see this event without optical aid. However, binoculars or a telescope will give a much better view, as both objects will be thin crescents, the Moon being 4% sunlit and Venus 8%, adding to the beauty of the event. The emergence for most will take place near a position angle of 40° as measured clockwise from the top of the lunar disk, or just past 1 o’clock.

Unlike a star — a point source of light, which appears to suddenly “pop-on” when it reappears from occultation — Venus’ disk measures 51 arcseconds across and will take about 90 seconds to completely emerge into view. The actual observed duration will be considerably less, though — more like 10 seconds, because only part of the planet is sunlit.

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/watch-moon-pair-venus-june-19th/

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This map shows where the Venus occultation will be visible. Some locations will see Venus disappear and reappear, some will only see the reemergence, and some will not see the occultation but will see the close conjunction of Venus and the Moon.

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In the predawn/dawn sky these next few mornings – June 17 and 18, 2020 – look first for the slender waning crescent moon. The moon’s illuminated side will be pointing right at the planet Venus, which rises over horizon as the morning darkness is giving way to dawn. On June 19, look for the old, slender moon to be quite close to Venus on the sky’s dome.