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Credit & Copyright: Derek Steen from Nazareth, Pennsylvania 3% Moon & 7.9% Venus:This lovely Moon is 3% illuminated. Venus is 7.9% illuminated (yes, you can see a similar "C" curve in Venus). It was an absolute joy watching them rise and fade into the sky with the sun quickly following them. Tomorrow the Moon will be 1% illumination: challenge accepted!
For the past two months, I have been on a quest to capture the thinnest crescent moon I can. Last month it was cloudy/rainy surrounding the new moon, so I didn't think it would be visible. This month, I'm so determined that I don't care if there's a hurricane (or Starlink satellite 7 passing overhead at 2246 hours when I have to wake up at 0350 hours to catch the moonrise); nothing will stop me! And it has paid off!
At the beginning of the week, the weather forecast for June 17-21 (the days surrounding the new moon) predicted clouds and rain. Either the prediction was weaker than I thought, or things have changed because — although there were some clouds — there was plenty of clear sky to see the Moon, Venus, and the Sun.