2020, July 17: The crescent moon, Brilliant Venus, and Aldebaran shine from the eastern during early morning twilight.
Morning Star Venus shines at its brightest June 29 – July 17, 2020.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
2020, June 29: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast about an hour before sunrise. The star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster are visible with a binocular.
2020, July 1: Venus shines from low in the east-northeastern sky. No stars this morning because of an overcast sky.
2020, July 2: Venus shines from the east-northeast during morning twilight. It is 0.9° to the upper right of δ1 Tauri.
2020, July 3: Venus is 0.6° to the upper right of Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 3.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran.
2020, July 4: Nearly 11° in altitude in the east-northeast, Venus is 3.4° to the upper right of α Tau and 0.4° to the right of δ1 Tau. 2020, July 4: Jupiter 2.3° below 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.2° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap)
2020, July 5: Venus, nearly 12° up in the east-northeast, is 3.1° to the upper right of Aldebaran, 0.8° to the lower right of δ1 Tau, and 0.3° to the lower right of δ2 Tau. The Pleiades star cluster is nearly 11° above Venus.
2020, July 6: Venus appears inside the “V” of Taurus, 0.5° below Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 2.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran.
2020, July 7: Venus is part of a line that starts at Aldebaran and ends at δ1 Tau. It is 0.6° to the lower left of δ2 Tau.
2020, July 9: Brilliant Venus is among the stars of the Hyades star cluster, 1.6° to the upper right of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears higher in the sky.
2020, July 11: Brilliant Venus appears 1.0° to the upper left of the star Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above Venus.
2020, July 13: Venus, Aldebaran, Hyades, Pleiades appear in the early morning sky.
2020, July 14: Venus is 1.6° to the left of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above the pair.
2020, July 14: Venus, Moon, and Mars span nearly 62° in the eastern morning sky.
2020, July 17: The crescent moon is in a group with Venus and Aldebaran as the Pleiades appear above the scene during early morning twilight.
2020, July 17: The crescent moon is 3.2° to the left of Venus and the brilliant planet is the same distance to the lower left of Aldebaran.
Photo Caption - 2020, July 17: The crescent moon, Brilliant Venus, and Aldebaran shine from the eastern during early morning twilight.
Venus begins its interval of greatest brightness on June 29. To our eyes, the planet shines at its maximum brightness through July 17. While its brightness increases minutely during the next several mornings, Venus seems to shine with constant intensity to our eyes during this time.
The chart above shows Venus on July 8, the mid-point of its interval of greatest brightness. Venus is in the middle of the Hyades star cluster to the upper right of the star Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above Venus. During July, Venus moves through Taurus.
2020, July 8: At the mid-point of its greatest brightness, Venus is 39° from the sun. Through a telescope, Venus is a crescent phase.
This brightness interval occurs when the planet is relatively close to our planet. Geometrically, Venus is 39° from the sun. Through a telescope, the planet displays at crescent phase that is about 25% illuminated. The second chart shows the orbital relationship of Venus and Earth compared to the sun on July 8. The result of these angular distances is that Venus is incredibly bright in our sky.
