Crescent moon joining Jupiter, Venus in western sky

It has been hard not to notice Venus and Jupiter twinkling in the western sky on all the pleasant, clear nights we’ve had. The view is about to get a little more spectacular.

The crescent moon begins to peek out tonight, and over the next several nights will provide some drama in the sky alongside the bright planets. Look just above the western horizon at dusk to find them.

Venus is the higher planet, and Jupiter the lower. If you have a decent backyard telescope, you should even be able to see Jupiter's four largest moons orbiting the gaseous giant.

Read more about the skywatching opportunities in this post on EarthSky.org.