Venus and the Moon, Pleiades, the Lion and the Bull

07 Jul Venus and the Moon, Pleiades, the Lion and the Bull

For those of you who enjoy "stargazing" and star watching, mark your calendars for a week of lovely stellar viewing. A graceful waning Moon cups the delicate Pleiades star cluster in the predawn sky the morning of July 8th. On the 9th, notice an even thinner crescent Moon as it aligns with the bright star Aldebaran in the head of Taurus the Bull. 

Following sunset, Venus is a brilliant beacon of light above the western horizon at twilight and on in to evening. Watch as this ancient goddess of love and beauty moves ever closer to Regulus, the heart-star of Leo the Lion, coming to conjunction on the night of July 9th.

The next few days and nights are excellent for checking out the cycles of the Moon and its movement from the delicate crescent of a waning Moon in the predawn skies, to the the "black Moon" of the lunar eclipse on July 11th, to the almost invisible crescent of a New Moon in the western sky at dusk on the evenings of July 12th and 13th. Then look for the stunning conjuction of Venus and the Moon on July 14th. And, if you're interested in following the stars and planets, a great website to go to is skyandtelescope.com. It's where I get my starmaps these days and stay posted on weekly celestial phenomena. Have fun and enjoy the show!