Thursday, August 8 – Crescent, Venus and Virgo (after sunset)
Here’s another chance to see the crescent moon dominate the evening sky after sunset, with Venus stubbornly shining near the western horizon. Look at the dark left side of the Moon. Can you make out any details? Since the sunlight isn’t shining directly on it, it should be dark, right?
The light you can see is called “planetary glow,” “Earthshine,” or “Da Vinci glow.” It’s sunlight shining on Earth reflecting off the moon. It’s easiest to see when the moon is a few days old. — Jimmy Carter
Wednesday, August 7 – Crescent, Venus and Virgo (after sunset)
A brighter, more visible crescent will appear tonight about halfway between Venus, to its lower right, and the bright star Spica, to its upper left. Spica is one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. — Jimmy Carter