Our two closest neighbors in space, the Moon and Venus, meet up from time to time in our night sky and treat us to some stunning views. Venus has returned as the bling of the evening, gleaming in the west from dusk to dark. A slim waxing crescent moon will shine tantalizingly close to the brilliant “evening star,” just after sunset on the evening of Mon., May 18. One evening later, May 19, the Moon will hover between the night’s two brightest lights, Venus and Jupiter.

Seeing celestial objects in close proximity is known as a conjunction, although it is only from our point of view that celestial objects appear near one another. Planets and their moons orbit the Sun at different speeds but in nearly the same plane. When two objects, in this case a planet and moon, align in the same orbital path, we observe a conjunction.

A series of beautiful Moon-Venus pairings began early spring and will continue through the next months as the dazzling planet is on its way to reaching peak brightness midsummer. It will travel from the between the horns of Taurus into Gemini, nearing the stars of the twin’s feet.

Keep an eye on the moon towards the end of the month. Another treat of May is a second full moon! Though not actually blue, the “Blue Moon,” shines Sun., May 31.