Moon and Venus Appulse over a Tree
What's that bright spot near the Moon? Venus . About a week ago, Earth's Moon appeared unusually close to the distant planet Venus, an angular coincidence known as an appulse . Similar to a conjunction , which is a coordinate term, an appulse refers more generally to when two celestial objects appear close together. This Moon and Venus appulse -- once as close as 0.05 degrees -- was captured rising during the early morning behind Koko crater on the island of O'ahu in Hawaii , USA . The Moon was in a crescent phase with its lower left reflecting direct sunlight, while the rest of the Moon is seen because of Earthshine , sunlight first reflected from the Earth. Some leaves and branches of a foreground kiawe tree are seen in silhouette in front of the bright crescent, while others, in front of a darker background, appear white because of forward scatter ing. Appulses involving the Moon typically occur several times a year : for example the Moon is expected to pass within 0.20 degrees of distant Saturn on March 1.