Venus and the moon appeared near each other in the Monday evening sky in a cosmic alignment known as a conjunction. At sunset, Venus and the crescent moon could be seen shining brightly about 7 degrees apart in the southwestern sky (closer than your fist held at arm's length). "It was another cold, clear, and beautiful night in Truckee, CA," skywatcher David Smoyer told SPACE.com in an email. "The moon and Venus were so close together, shining through gorgeous sunset colors."