Twilight duet: Venus and a razor-thin Moon light up the western sky on May 18

On May 18, Venus will appear alongside a slender crescent Moon in the western sky after sunset. The Moon will be brighter than Venus (magnitude about -7.1 vs -4.0) because of its larger apparent size, though they’re not physically close; they’ll be roughly 3 degrees apart (about one-third of a fist at arm’s length). Venus’ evening visibility is improving in May, with the planet setting around 10:50 p.m. local time, and the close pairing offers a striking twilight sight for skywatchers.