Crescent & Gibbous

The Moon and Venus met for a daytime occultation today, not far from the Sun in the sky. It was a challenging sight to spot with the naked eye, but possible if you knew where to look. As the two drew closer together, Venus disappeared behind the thin lunar crescent.

This image shows the scene a few minutes before the disappearance, captured with my largest telescope. Venus appears in a bright gibbous phase, while the Moon is barely visible as a thin crescent against the blue daylight sky.