Categories: AstrophotosMoonVenus

Astrophotos: The Smiley Face Moon and Companions in the Sky

The crescent Moon and Venus as seen from São Paulo, Brazil on September 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Ednilson Oliveira

Did you notice a bright “star” close to the Moon last night (September 8, 2013)? People around the world had the treat of seeing the waxing crescent Moon have the planet Venus snuggle up close… or in some places, the Moon actually passed in front of Venus, in what is known as an occultation. Also, on Saturday, the bright star Spica added to the scene.

Thanks to our readers from around the world for sharing their images and videos!

Moon and Venus conjunction
over the Eternal Flame of the 9/11 Memorial located here in San Antonio, Texas. Credit and copyright: Adrian New.

The Moon and Venus on September 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Wes Schulstad.

The waxing crescent Moon near Venus on the evening of Sunday, September 8, 2013, as seen from southern Alberta, Canada. Credit and copyright: Alan Dyer/Amazing Sky Photography.

Here’s a video showing the occultation of Venus by the Moon, photographed by Fabian Gonzalez.

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The 12% waxing crescenet Moon and Venus on September 8, 2013 as seen from Shot in Kennesaw, Georgia. Credit and copyright: Stephen Rahn.

The new Moon with Venus on its right. Taken from the dark sky preserve at the Nutwood Observatory in central Ontario, Cananda. Credit and copyright: Brian McGaffney.

A close-up of September’s waxing crescent Moon with Venus on September 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Tavi Greiner.

A calm and peaceful moment on a beautiful beach, with a planetary alignment between planets, Saturn (in the top left corner), Venus and Spica star (in the center image), and the crescent Moon above the horizon, as seen on September 7, 2013. Credit and copyright: Miguel Claro.

Conjunction of Saturn, Venus, and the 2.5 day old Moon on Saturday, September 7, 2013. Spica sneaks into the photo beneath Venus. Taken from Salem, Missouri. Credit and copyright: Joe Shuster, Lake County Astronomical Society.

Video of the occultation of Spica by the Moon on September 7, 2013 from Israel, taken by Gadi Eidelheit. Read more about at his website, VenusTransit.

Beautiful Moon & Venus as seen from Mumbai on 8th September 2013. Credit and copyright: Henna Khan.

The crescent Moon and Venus as seen from central Illinois. Credit: Nancy Atkinson.

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Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/