... Credit: Eddie Guscott Explanation: This remarkable picture of a slender crescent Venus was made during daylight hours on March 26. Venus was then very near inferior conjunction , its closest approach to a point on a line directly between Earth and the Sun . ... Near inferior conjunction , Venus is closest to us and at its largest apparent size , but Venus is also strongly backlit by sunlight, presenting its night side partially outlined by a narrow crescent. ... Crescent Moon and Venus . ...