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Credit & Copyright: Marco Meniero
Explanation:
That's not a bright star
and crescent Moon
caught between branches of a eucalyptus tree.
It's Venus in a crescent phase and Mercury.
Near the western horizon after sunset, the two inner planets
closely shared this telescopic field of view on May 22, seen from
a balcony in Civitavecchia, Italy.
Venus, the very bright
celestial beacon,
is wandering lower into the evening twilight.
It grows larger in apparent size and shows a
thinner crescent
as it heads toward its inferior conjunction, positioned between
Earth and Sun on June 3.
Mercury, in
a fuller phase, is climbing in the western sky though,
reaching its maximum angular distance from the Sun on June 4
Still, this
remarkably
close pairing
with brilliant Venus made
Mercury, usually lost in bright twilight skies, easier to spot
from planet Earth.
Gallery:
Notable
Venus & Mercury Conjunction 2020 Images
submitted to APOD
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day