If you're willing to get up early this Thursday (Nov. 9), you can catch one of the most delightful celestial sights of the year: the crescent moon "smiling" at Venus. During this close conjunction, the moon , arguably in its most delicate and beautiful phase of the month, will appear close to a very bright Venus but will be oriented so it resembles a smiley face. There will be around a two-hour window to see the moon and Venus before sunrise, with the pair climbing higher into the east-southeastern predawn sky. You'll probably notice that the unlit portion of the moon — in this case, the other 85% — is also slightly illuminated. However, from a narrow path across some of the planet, it will be possible to see Venus briefly disappear behind the moon.
