CROSS your fingers for clear skies after sunset this coming weekend because there will be something very pretty to see in the sky - the Moon shining close to the Evening Star, Venus, in the golden twilight, writes STUART ATKINSON. This is something you won't need a telescope for, or even binoculars; both the Moon and Venus are bright enough to be seen with just the naked eye, and when they are shining close together in the dusk over the weekend they will be a very striking sight.

This is a celestial play in three short acts. On the evening of June 15 (Friday) the very thin crescent Moon will be close to Venus, down to its lower right. On Saturday (June 16) the Moon will have climbed up a little and will be shining closer to Venus and directly to its left. They will appear very close together in the sky, although in reality they will be separated by more than 95 million miles. On this evening the pair will be a truly beautiful sight, and a pair of binoculars will show them shining close together. You should also see the subtle pink-blue glow of Earthshine on the dark part of the Moon.

By the following evening (Sunday, June 17) the Moon will have drifted further to the left of Venus, and will be higher in the sky too, but the pair will still be close enough to make them a very impressive sight in the sky.

Events like this aren't scientifically valuable, or significant, they're just pretty to look at. And sometimes that's enough, isn't it?