Two celestial beauties line up on Friday when the young crescent moon meets brilliant Venus in the evening twilight. It will be one of the prettiest naked-eye sights of the month, so long, of course, as the clouds behave.
The chart shows the view looking west from London at 10pm BST. By that time the sun will have set but the sky will still be bright with summer twilight.
Venus will be shining as a brilliant white point low above the horizon. The delicate crescent moon, just three days past new, will be nearby with just under 16% of its visible surface illuminated. The pair will be low, so buildings, trees or hills can easily block the view.
The scene will not last for long as the pair set, so follow them for as long as you can. As the night gathers itself, they will only become more beautiful against the darkening sky. And there is a chance that the un-illuminated side of the moon will become visible in the ghostly glow of reflected light from Earth.
The pairing is also visible from the southern hemisphere. Again, look west as soon as the sun has set.
