What is the really bright star next to the moon? Venus seen over San Diego

SAN DIEGO – The waning crescent moon, accompanied by a bright Venus, could be seen hovering over the San Diego region early Thursday morning.

For those who rise before sunrise, this celestial attraction could be received as a reward for forestalling the sun for a new day.

The Moon and Venus were hanging about a quarter of the way up in the atmosphere as seen from Earth at about 5 a.m., but visibility of the pairing began at about 3 a.m. across North America.

Accordingly space.comAn online publication focused on astronomy and celestial observation, the waning crescent moon was 15% illuminated by the sun during this time.

Space.com was less than a degree to the right and said Venus was shining “at magnitude -4.4, or 15 times brighter than Sirius” – the brightest star in the night sky.

Some morning commuters may even have seen what painter Leonardo da Vinci called “the old moon in the arms of the young moon.” Also known as EarthshineThis describes Earth’s faint bluish-gray light that is reflected back to the Moon.

To further explain this, the full moon sphere was visible on Thursday morning, with the dark part glowing a bluish-gray hue. This color was between the sunlit crescent and the not much darker sky, space.com said.

This moment has even been described as “the moon smiling at Venus.” Can you see it?