Early risers are in for a celestial treat on July 5, when Venus appears as a bright 'morning star' alongside the magnificent Pleiades open star cluster in the eastern sky just before dawn.
Stargazers in the U.S. can see Venus rising around 3 a.m. local time, with the Pleiades star cluster visible as a smudge of light under dark sky conditions less than 7 degrees to Venus' upper left. To estimate that distance, hold a clenched fist at arm's length; it spans roughly 10 degrees of sky.
