If you can drag yourself out of bed before sunrise on Friday, you’ll get one of the best naked-eye sky shows of the year. The crescent moon, the planet Venus, and the star Regulus will cluster together so tightly that a finger held at arm’s length could block them all at once.Astronomers call this a triple conjunction, though you don’t need any special gear to enjoy it. “This is a rare chance to see three of the brightest objects in the sky packed into less than half a degree,” notes Live Science. In plain terms, that’s about the width of your pinky held up against the horizon.Look east-northeast about 90 minutes before sunrise. The waning crescent moon will be lit at only 6 percent, which makes it thin enough to see Earthshine—the dim glow caused by sunlight bouncing off Earth and illuminating the moon’s shadowed side. Venus will blaze nearby, about 110 times brighter than Regulus, the “heart” star of the Leo constellation. Together, the three form a lineup that will look different depending on where you are in the world.On the U.S. East Coast, the moon, Venus, and Regulus will form a nearly perfect straight line. On the West Coast, the same trio will hang in a soft triangle. For skywatchers in northeastern Canada, Greenland, Western Europe, and North Africa, the moon will briefly pass in front of Venus, an event known as an occultation. That’s the cosmic equivalent of a celestial photobomb, but it’s only visible from a thin strip of Earth’s surface.While the moon steals the show, the scale of brightness is worth noting. Venus shines at magnitude -3.8, dazzling enough to compete with city light pollution. Regulus, at magnitude 1.3, will look faint by comparison, though it still ranks as the brightest star in Leo.The conjunction also tees up a busy celestial calendar. The moon shrinks into a new phase on September 21, setting the stage for a partial solar eclipse visible from New Zealand, Antarctica, and the South Pacific. Then, on September 22, the equinox balances day and night across the globe, ushering in longer evenings for Northern Hemisphere stargazers. Venus will hold its spot as the Morning Star through the rest of the month.So, if you need an excuse to set your alarm early, this is it.The post A Rare Conjunction Is Coming: How to See the Moon, Venus, and Regulus appeared first on VICE.