Heavenly Show Tonight

Tonite there will be a spectatcular conjunction of the 2 brightest planets & our Moon. Part of the spectacular show will be the fact that you should be able to see the whole Moon despite the fact that it is considered a crescent Moon. The crescent Moon will be reflecting sunlight. The rest of the Moon will be a dark bluish grey as the result of Earthshine.

As spectacular as this meeting will be here in the USA, the big show will actually take place over the sky in Western Europe. They will experience a very rare event, the moon will pass in front of Venus.

"Astronomers refer to this phenomenon as an "occultation," taken from the Latin word occultare, which means "to conceal." This eye-catching sight will be visible in complete darkness across much of Eastern Europe. Farther west, Venus will disappear behind the dark part of the moon either during evening twilight or just before the Sun sets. When Venus emerges, it will look like a brightening jewel on the slender lunar crescent. For virtually all of Europe, the Sun will have set by then, the exception being southern Portugal (including Lisbon).

Such favorable circumstances are quite rare for any given location. For example, the last time London was treated to such a favorably placed Venus occultation such was back on October 7, 1961. And after 2008, there will not be another similarly favorable Venus occultation for the United Kingdom until January 10, 2032. So be sure to make the most of this upcoming opportunity. More detailed information, including maps of the occultation zone, as well as times for dozens of European cities, are here." (Spectacular Sky Scene Monday Evening)

As it says in Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God,

the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork,

day discourses of it to day,

night to night hands on the knowledge.

No utterance at all, no speech,

not a sound to be heard,

but from the entire earth the design stands out,

this message reaches the whole world.

(Psalm 19:1-4)