Rare Daylight Sky Show: The Moon Will Hide Venus for About an Hour on June 17

Skywatchers across the United States have a rare opportunity on June 17: the waxing crescent Moon will pass directly in front of Venus in a daytime lunar occultation, causing the bright planet to vanish for roughly an hour before reappearing on the Moon's opposite limb.

What To Expect

During the occultation, Venus will disappear behind the Moon's unlit edge and return about an hour later. At the moment of hiding, the Moon will be only about 11% illuminated and located roughly 38° from the Sun, so this entire spectacle will occur in broad daylight.

Timing

Observers in the Eastern Time Zone should expect the event to begin at approximately 4:00 p.m. EDT. On the U.S. West Coast the occultation will start near 11:40 a.m. PDT. Local start and end times may vary by tens of minutes depending on your exact location—consult an observing timetable for pinpoint timing.

How To Watch Safely

• Stand in the shadow of a building to reduce glare and lower the risk of accidentally pointing optics toward the Sun.
• Use binoculars or a small telescope to scan the blue sky until you spot the Moon’s thin crescent; Venus will be a very bright “star” just to its left.
• You can also try zooming with a smartphone camera, but never point any optics directly at the Sun—this can cause immediate and permanent eye injury.

Spaceweather.com suggests standing in a building's shadow as the safest and most effective way to observe this daylight occultation.

Why This Is Special

This is the first daylight occultation of Venus visible across the contiguous United States in 11 years, and the next comparable Moon–Venus occultation visible in the lower 48 won’t occur until October 10, 2029. That makes this a comparatively rare observing opportunity for both casual skywatchers and astronomy enthusiasts.

Bonus Evening View

About an hour after sunset on the same evening, look west for a pleasant follow-up: the waxing crescent Moon will appear near three bright planets—Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury—continuing a busy week of planetary sights that included a close Venus–Jupiter conjunction.

If you want exact local times, consult a reliable timetable or astronomy site that lists occultation times by city or coordinates before you go outside.