Crescent Moon and Venus pair in evening sky, Jupiter nearby

scienceMay 19, 2026842,091

On the evening of May 19, 2026 the waxing crescent Moon sat next to Venus low in the western sky after sunset, with bright Jupiter visible higher above. Observers across North America could see the three bodies without optical aid, with Venus appearing as the brightest point beside the thin lunar crescent. The exact arrangement shifted nightly as the Moon moved in its orbit, so the close pairing was temporary. Seeing the Moon, Venus and Jupiter together makes it easy to pick out planets and highlights how much of the solar system you can view with the naked eye.

Phil Plait

@philplait.bsky.social

Tonight: Look west after sunset for the thin crescent moon between Venus and Jupiter (the two brightest star-like objects in the sky). Over the next two weeks the two planets approach each other and pass 1.5 degrees apart on June 9!

34460d ago

Brad in TKPK7

Last night I spotted this pair - two thumbs apart at arm’s length. Extra earthshine on iPhone, but it was pretty clear anyway. The other planet was higher and very dim. Was I…late, right?

Clearsky Tom7

Venus and Crescent Moon last night

Michele

@funnymichele.bsky.social

A cool photo of the moon and Venus tonight ✨️ 🤩 #ECK #photography #rva

34060d ago

crabbydaddy dave4

I saw that and thought it was cool and I should take a picture which of course I didn’t so thank you.

Blue Sky, Kiwi Fly2

Other side of the world, but here's how it looked an hour ago in Wellington, New Zealand, it looked better in person 😅

JK Prakoso2

I am not sure whether it’s the same object as yours. It was taken about an hour ago from Detroit.

organicgay.bsky.social2

I saw this as well and it was lovely.

bodhidave

@bodhidave.bsky.social

crescent moon and Venus near my home tonight at sunset

a darkening blue sky with a thin crescent moon to the left of which is a star-like Venus, over a pale pinkish sunset atop a hillside and a tree in silhouette

32460d ago

bodhidave3

I'm seeing these as the positions for Jupiter and the moon and Venus this evening (19 May), and tomorrow evening. earthsky.org/astronomy-es...

Becido Ethaniel - )O( 🇧🇪

@becido.eurosky.social

There’s a beautiful conjunction between the Moon and Venus tonight. They’ll be even closer together in a few hours’ time in North America. #Witchsky #Moon #Venus

13461d ago

David Blanchflower BSc

@davidbflower.bsky.social

The Moon and Venus from last night. 2124UT 18 May 2026. 🔭 🧪 🎨 #astrophotography #SciArt #photography #StormHour #ThePhotoHour

Planet Venus dot above centre with the Moon at waxing crescent phase to its right.

10860d ago

Andrew 📷

@vixcomplex.bsky.social

Quiet Night 5-18-2026 Sometimes the cleanest frame tells the best story. Crescent moon with earthshine and Venus in the evening sky 🌙 #moon #crescent #earthshine #venus #astrophotography #nightsky #sonyalpha #planets #conjunction #twilight

A crescent moon with earthshine in the upper right and Venus as a bright point in the lower left, set against a smooth deep blue twilight sky with no distractions.

(Waxing crescent moon at 8% illumination)

7760d ago

Patrick

@watchinthesky.bsky.social

A trio of the moon tonight, returning from a New Moon and finally sky at night is fairly clear. The waxing crescent and Venus A closer view of craters on the crescent Overexposed view showing the whole disk that is 92% in shadow but illuminated by earth glow

A sliver moon in view at the upper right and the planet Venus in the lower left of the photo in a black sky.

5360d ago

Westie Dad

@oldpueblocyclist.bsky.social

Waxing crescent Moon next to Venus with Jupiter above. 💫 #moon #tucson

4460d ago

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD

@madhupai.bsky.social

A beautiful crescent moon 🌙 with a sparkling Venus as companion tonight

4360d ago

FloPaSasquatch

@flopasasquatch.bsky.social

The spiral light of Venus Rising first and shining best

3960d ago

Pantrywoman

@pantrywoman.bsky.social

OK… couldn’t resist sharing this beautiful picture of the moon & Venus tonight❣️

3760d ago

NASA | ESA Space Updates

@nasaupdates.bsky.social

On the night of May 18, the Moon and Venus shared a beautiful celestial alignment. While they appeared side-by-side from our perspective on Earth, this was merely a trick of geometry; in reality, the two bodies remained millions of miles apart. 🌕

The crescent moon and Venus, photographed in the sky just above the glowing NASA insignia on the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C.

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

3560d ago

Noor Lovelace

@noorlovelace.bsky.social

A very cool photo my partner took outside of the dark side of the moon and (I think?) Venus. He told me Venus is the brightest object in the sky apart from the moon. I told him I thought HE was the brightest object in the sky. He replied, “that’s adorable but factually inaccurate.” 😒

A 3 second exposure photo of the moon which is a crescent, but you can see the dark side as well. On the bottom left is a bright round Venus. A few stars speckle the sky in the background, and you can see the very top of a tree.

2960d ago

Gary Hershorn

@garyhershorn.bsky.social

A seven percent illuminated waxing crescent moon and the planet Venus set behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center at sunset in New York City, Monday evening #newyorkcity #nyc #newyork #sunset #moon #venus

2060d ago

Greg Halling

@ghalling.bsky.social

Waxing crescent moon dancing with Venus, Yakima, Washington (May 2026). #moon #venus #astronomy #nightsky

Waxing crescent moon above Venus in a black sky.

2460d ago

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Crescent Moon and Venus pair in evening sky, Jupiter nearby

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