Celestial Spectacle: Moon and Venus Embrace in Early Morning Sky

On October 10, the moon and Venus will have a close approach in the sky, known as a conjunction. The 25-day-old waning crescent moon will be visible from New York City soon after it rises, followed by Venus a little later. Both will be in the constellation Leo during the conjunction. While they won't be visible together in a telescope's narrow field of view, they can be seen together in wider field of view binoculars. Venus, despite being the second planet from the sun, is the hottest body in the solar system due to its dense atmosphere and runaway greenhouse effect. Skywatchers will have another opportunity to spot Venus on October 20 when it reaches its highest point in the sky during its current period of early morning appearances.