The Moon

and Venus.
Venus alone, top, and both objects, below. Wednesday morning, had I been up and in an appropriate viewing spot, I could have watched Venus disappear behind the moon for about an hour. Unfortunately, neither condition was met. Fortunately, APOD captured the conjunction beautifully (Click over for full-size; it really is awe-inspiring). There is something very science fictiony about this photo that I just love.

Just few minutes ago, SpaceWeather sent me an alert to let me know about another conjunction that will occur tomorrow at sunset. Mercury is never far above the horizon, and it's never too bright, so spotting it in a twilit sky is difficult. I've only seen the planet a few times, but once you spot it, it's a naked-eye object. Having something prominant, like, say, the crescent moon, to guide your search should make it easier to find. Hint: Mercury will not be inside the crescent.

Space Weather News for April 25, 2009 http://spaceweather.com/ SUNSET CONJUNCTION: When the sun goes down on Sunday, April 26th, step outside and look west. An exquisitely-slender crescent Moon is lining up with Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster for a three-way conjunction in the sunset sky. Click here for the full story and a sky map: http://spaceweather.com/headlines/y2009/24apr_eveningsky.php