Celestial Spectacle: Venus and Moon Align in Rare Sky Dance

Sky-watchers and photographers captured the rare sight of Venus disappearing behind a slim crescent moon in an occultation event visible in Europe, Russia, and a small part of northeastern Africa. The planet's ingress and egress occurred in daylight, with observers using binoculars and cameras to glimpse the event between clouds. The next occultation of Venus by the moon will be visible from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and southern Greenland, coinciding with the "Great American Eclipse." The path of the occultation will loosely follow the path of totality, where the moon will block the sun for up to 4 minutes 26 seconds, creating a twilight-like darkness and a 360-degree sunset.