dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (09/02/84)
You can't see the moon today because it's in a position between the Earth and sun. But we'll tell you where to see the moon tomorrow -- right after this. August 26 New Moon The magical moment of new moon occurs during the day on Sunday. That means you won't see the moon anywhere in the sky today -- because it's now located in that part of its orbit in between the Earth and sun. The moon is new at least once each month, because the moon takes about a month to complete a single orbit around Earth. After new moon, our sister world appears in the west shortly after sunset. The first day you might see the moon again will be tomorrow, Monday. Then it'll be the slimmest of crescents -- visible only in a western sky that's clear all the way to the horizon. If you do see the moon on Monday, you may also glimpse an object that hasn't been seen from Earth with the naked eye since about last March. That long-gone object is the planet Venus, which has been moving behind the sun all this time -- and which therefore has been invisible in the solar glare. Venus is now back in the west after sunset -- but it's still extremely low in the sky. Monday evening, the slim crescent moon passes just north of Venus on the dome of the sky -- which means that if you can find the moon, you might also be able to see Venus. Again, you'll need a very clear western sky Monday evening. Start scanning for Venus and the moon in the west shortly after the sun goes down. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1983, 1984 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin