
Crescent Moon Guides the Brilliant Venus in Monday Evening Sky
Look west just after sunset Monday to spot a slim crescent Moon near brilliantly bright Venus, which will reach its greatest brightness around Sept. 18 (about magnitude -4.8). In Raleigh, sunset is around 7:23 PM, so find a clear western horizon and enjoy the close pairing, though the objects are millions of miles apart in space (Moon ~240,000 miles from Earth; Venus tens of millions of miles away). Venus’ crescent phase (~25% illuminated) will be easier to see with a telescope or binoculars, and nearby guide stars Spica (to the right) and Antares (to the left) can help with orientation.













