Last night's moon with Venus on EarthSky | Today's Image

View larger. | People around the world saw the moon and Venus last night. Gary P. Caton captured them from Asheville, North Carolina. Thank you, Gary! View more photos by Gary P. Caton here.

View larger. | Gary P. Caton captured the moon and Venus – December 4, 2013 – in Asheville, North Carolina. Thank you, Gary! Click here to view more photos by Gary P. Caton.

The moon is back in the evening sky, sweeping up past the bright planet Venus. And we do mean bright! Venus is at its brightest now for this evening apparition. It was a beautiful sight near the moon on December 4, 2013.

The moon and Venus will be even closer on the nights of December 5 or 6, closer for you on one of those nights, depending on your location on the globe.

EarthSky guide to the visible planets.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.