Tag: Venus

Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, May 2: Morning Star Venus Meets Crescent Moon

On the morning of May 2, about 30 minutes before sunrise, the moon (27.1 days past the New phase, 7% illuminated) — a thin waning crescent phase — is 4.3° to the lower right of Venus. Look for them low in the east.  Venus is only about 5° up in the east.

Check your local sources — newspaper, television, or internet — for the time of sunrise at your location.  Although they are lower at that time, start looking for them about 45 minutes before the time of your local sunrise.

To find this pair, you’ll need a clear eastern horizon.  Stand on a hill or in an open spot with no trees or houses nearby.

The time interval between the beginning of morning twilight and sunrise grows 24 minutes from this morning through mid-June.  While Venus is rising at the same time interval before sunrise for the next month, it appears in a brighter sky.

The moon is New on May 4.  Look for it during the early evening of May 6 in the west as the sky darkens.

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Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, April 1: Venus and Crescent Moon

After passing Jupiter and Saturn late in March, the thin waning crescent moon appears near Venus on April 1.  Locate a clear east-southeast horizon and look about 45 minutes before sunrise.  This is during mid-twilight when the sky is brightening, but  brilliant Venus is easily found.  It is low in the sky, only 4° up in the sky,  Venus is nearly 9° to the left of the waning crescent moon that is only 14% illuminated and just a few days before the moon reaches its New phase.

More about the morning planets:

Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, April 13-20: Venus and Mercury in Morning Sky

Venus and Mercury appear near each other on mid-April.  There is no conjunction as Mercury does not pass Venus.  Mercury moves faster and, typically, its motion causes the two to pass each other.  During this event, the two planets do not pass each other but they move within 5° of each other.  This event is know as a quasi-conjunction.

Mercury is in a very unfavorable apparition to observe. It appears very low in the east at Civil Twilight, about 30 minutes before sunrise, when the sun is 6° below the horizon. During this appearance this speedy planet does not rise before Nautical Twilight – which occurs about an hour before sunrise; so Mercury visible in a very bright sky, near the horizon. At its greatest elongation, it is only 4° in altitude.  Find a clear horizon and use a binocular.  First locate Venus then look through your binocular to locate this elusive planet.

The Venus-Mercury gaps:

April 13: 4.5°
April 14: 4.4°
April 15: 4.4°
April 16: 4.3°
April 17: 4.3°
April 18: 4.3°
April 19: 4.4°
April 20: 4.5°

On these mornings, it’s possible to see four planets in the morning sky — Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn — although a binocular may be needed to locate Saturn.  The Ringed Wonder is low in the southern sky,  less than one-third of the way up in the sky.  Jupiter is farther west, to the right of the south direction, at about the same height as Saturn above the horizon.

More about the morning planets:

Astronomy, Feature, Sky Watching

2019: Winter Morning Planet Parade Album

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On a recent trip to a more southerly latitude, the morning planets presented themselves high in the sky.  This album shows them on the mornings of February 28, March 1, and March 2, 2019.  When travelling farther south, the southern stars and planets appear higher in the southern sky.

Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, March 4: Morning Star Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter
2019, March 4: Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter

Brilliant Morning Star Venus, now appearing low in the southeast, shines during morning twilight with Saturn and Jupiter.  The Venus-Saturn gap is 15 degrees.  Jupiter is farther toward the south, over 25 degrees to the upper right of Saturn.

More about the morning planets:

Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, February 25: Morning Star Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Moon
2019, February 25: The waxing gibbous moon appears in the south

The moon joins the morning display of planets.  The moon is slightly gibbous and reaches its last quarter this morning.  The Imbrium Basin, is at the top of the moon near the terminator, the day-night line.  Copernicus, the bright spot below Imbrium, is an impact crater.  The moon is near 27 degrees to the upper right of Jupiter.

2019, February 25: A morning planet parade with Jupiter, Saturn, and Morning Star Venus

The planets are farther east.  Brilliant Morning Star Venus is well past Saturn, about 7.5 degrees.  Venus continues moving away from Saturn and the RInged Wonder appears slightly higher in the sky each morning.

Jupiter is nearly 26 degrees to the upper right of Saturn.

Watch the moon move past the planets during the next several mornings.

More about the morning planets:

Astronomy, Sky Watching

2019, February 22: Morning Star Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter

This morning Venus is about 4.4 degrees past Saturn. The conjunction was February 18. This morning’s photo has Saturn peeking through the trees. Jupiter is farther west, over 30 degrees from Venus.

More about the morning planets: