Week of Nov. 29 — Dec. 5, 2015

Some of the greatest celestial treats are provided by our nearest cosmic neighbor: the moon.

One of the most beautiful occurs when the moon pairs with the brilliant planet Venus, which it will do before sunrise on Monday, Dec. 7. In fact, during the pre-dawn hours of that morning, look toward the southeastern horizon and you'll see Venus appear to practically "touch" the thin crescent moon.

Later in the day, however, the moon will team with Venus to create another impressive celestial event—an occultation—as it drifts in front of the distant planet and blocks it from view.

Because the occultation occurs during daylight throughout North America, you'll most likely need binoculars or a small telescope to see it. Even finding the moon in daylight may be quite a challenge; it'll lie about 43 degrees west of the sun, so be sure to begin your search early. Whatever you do, however, be careful that you don't accidentally swing your binoculars or telescope toward the sun. That could end your observing session prematurely and permanently!

When you spot the moon and Venus together, keep watch on them. You'll see the moon drifting slowly toward Venus before passing in front of it. Depending on where you live, you may also be able to see Venus reappear on the other side a little later.

Sky watchers in San Diego, for example, will see the planet's vanishing act (its "ingress") behind the illuminated lunar limb around 8:09 a.m. PST. From Chicago, the ingress will take place around 12:19 p.m. CST. From the East Coast — New York City, for example — Venus will slip behind the moon at 12:42 p.m. EST.

It's not only the planetary disappearing act that will be of interest. A little more than an hour after the planet vanishes, it will reappear on the opposite side of the moon; spotting this, however, is more challenging since its tough knowing exactly where Venus will emerge behind the moon's dark limb. From San Diego this "egress" will occur at around 10:00 a.m. PST. From Chicago it happens around 1:34 p.m. CST and from New York City at 1:50 p.m. — just as the moon is setting in the west.

Because the exact times of this event depend on your location, you should get more accurate times for your town by calling your local planetarium, observatory or amateur astronomy club. And always begin your watch at least 15 minutes early so you can see the moon approach the planet in the sky.

You may wish to get up before sunrise to find the moon in the sky and periodically track its progress across the daytime sky so you don't miss the event when it happens.

Now, if you're looking for an additional reason to get up before dawn, remember that Comet Catalina will lie just to the east of the pair on that morning (see last week's column for details). Depending on how the comet develops during the next week, the comet, moon and Venus may be visible in the same binocular field of view that morning.

In any case, it should be a fun day of sky watching!

Visit Dennis Mammana at www.dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.