2021, April & May: Venus Into Bright Evening Twilight

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Venus – about 5° up in the west-northwest – is 1.2° to the right of the crescent moon

After superior conjunction (March 26, 2021), Venus slowly emerges into the western evening sky during bright twilight.  The closest Venus – moon grouping occurs on May 12.  Venus is moving eastward in Taurus.

Venus as an Evening Star, semi-technical summary

On April 19, Venus sets at Civil Twilight, when the sun is only 6° below the horizon at 30 minutes after sunset. During the next few evenings, begin looking for Venus about 2° above the west-northwest horizon at about 20 minutes after sunset.  Use a binocular to first locate it.  It is making its first evening appearance of this apparition.

2021, May 12: Venus, the crescent moon, and Mercury are in the west-northwest after sunset.

On May 12, Venus – about 5° up in the west-northwest – is 1.2° to the right of the thin crescent moon. This is the closest Venus – moon grouping for this apparition.

A few nights later, on May 16, Venus – 6.0° up in the west-northwest – is 5.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran.  This is a challenging observation as the star is only 3.0° in altitude.  Use a binocular to see the scene.

On May 21, Venus sets at Nautical Twilight, when the sun is 12° below the horizon at 74 minutes after sunset.

Venus as an Evening Star Article

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