Venus Will Disappear in Broad Daylight Tomorrow—and It Won't Happen Again for Years

Attention, skywatchers! This week you'll have the chance to witness a rare daytime astronomy event.

Tomorrow, June 17, the crescent moon will pass directly in front of Venus for around an hour. During the event, known as a lunar occultation, the bright planet will disappear behind the moon's dark side before reappearing roughly an hour later on the other side. It marks the first time in 11 years that this type of daylight occultation of Venus has been visible over the U.S.

And unlike many celestial events that require dark skies, this one happens in broad daylight. According to Spaceweather.com, the best way to see the occurrence will be to "stand in the shadow of a building."

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Scan the sky with binoculars until you find the moon's pale crescent and look just to its left for the bright planet, which will be shining against the blue sky. Standing in a shadow is a good way to avoid pointing your binoculars directly at the sun, which can cause immediate and permanent eye damage. You might also be able to zoom in with your phone to see the phenomenon.

At the time of the occultation, the moon will be just 11 percent lit and about 38 degrees from the sun.

The occultation will begin around 4 p.m. EDT, while on the West Coast, the event starts around 11:40 a.m. PDT; the timing varies by tens of minutes within each time zone. Spaceweather.com offers a timetable of when to expect the event to occur in your area. You won't want to miss this chance. The next Moon-Venus occultation that will be visible in the contiguous U.S. will occur on October 10, 2029.

Also, about an hour after sunset, look west for the sight of the waxing crescent moon with three bright planets in view—Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury. This follows last week's rare Venus-Jupiter conjunction, when the two planets appeared to meet in the night sky.