Shortly after sunset tonight, look 20 degrees above the western horizon to find brilliant Venus.
Mercury will be slightly north of Venus and closer to the western horizon.
Just above Mercury will be the waxing (growing larger) 1 1/2-day-old crescent moon. The moon will be hard to see in the twilight, but the moon and Mercury - only 1.5 degrees apart - should be a gorgeous sight in binoculars.
Mercury sets at 8:14 p.m., and the moon sets at 8:28 p.m., while Venus sets at 8:41 p.m.
Follow all three objects for the next week. Friday night, the moon will be higher above the western horizon, close to the Pleiades, and will have a larger crescent.
Be sure to look at the moon and the Pleiades with binoculars. Try to contrast the moon's earthshine (the visible glow from the dark portion of the moon) against the multiple stars in the Pleiades.
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Earthshine was first explained by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s when he realized sunlight is reflected off both the Earth and the moon. It is light from the sun that has reflected off the Earth onto the moon and back to the Earth.
Earthshine usually is visible a few days before new moon, when the moon is a waning (growing smaller) crescent on the way to new moon, and a few days after new moon, when it is a waxing crescent on the way to first quarter.
We see earthshine now, because the moon is waxing its way toward first quarter next Wednesday. The lighted crescent part of the moon is the daylight side of the moon as seen from the Earth, and the dark portion of the moon is its night side.
Tim Hunter has been an amateur astronomer since grade school. Contact him at skyspy@azstarnet.com