Should your local weather forecast suggest that Friday morning — the start of the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend — will be fair and clear, it will be well worth setting your alarm clock to awaken you about 90 minutes before the sun comes up. If you head outside at that early hour and if you have a clear and unobstructed view toward the east, you will be treated to a lovely pairing of the two brightest objects in the night sky.
You'll immediately notice the crescent moon; appearing slender and sliver, its disk will be illuminated just 16 percent by sunlight. And hovering to the lower left of the lunar crescent will be the planet Venus, shining like a brilliant silvery-white celestial lantern of magnitude -4.5. The two objects will be separated by a rather wide gap: roughly 7 degrees, which is approximately equal to three-quarters of the apparent width of your fist held at arm's length.
