venus

Daytime Occultation of Venus by the Moon

December 3, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Image of Venus about to pass behind the crescent Moon (credit: Kevin Jung)

If the nights are growing too chilly for you to go stargazing, then take heart. You can do a little daytime astronomy this week when the waning crescent Moon passes in front of the planet Venus on December 7, 2015. The occultation will occur in daylight skies and can easily be enjoyed with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The event is visible in all of North and Central America. In the rest of the world, the Moon will not pass in front of Venus, but it will lie very close to the planet and guide your eye so you can see Venus in broad daylight. [Read more…] about Daytime Occultation of Venus by the Moon

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Mars, Jupiter, and Venus in This Morning’s Sky

October 27, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

A great view of Mars, Jupiter, and Venus (in order of increasing brightness) over the Canadian prairies in the morning sky on October 27, 2015 by Alan Dyer at AmazingSky.com.

The trio of planets, Mars, Venus & Jupiter, in #conjunction in the moonlit morning sky, Oct 27, from home in Alberta pic.twitter.com/6PyL5aH6s2

— Alan Dyer (@amazingskyguy) October 27, 2015

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Mercury, the Moon, and Assorted Stars and Planets Before Dawn

October 9, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Mercury, a waning crescent Moon, and assorted other stars and bright planets as seen 30 minutes before sunrise in the eastern sky.

If you’re up for a weekend challenge, grab your binoculars, find a clear view down to the eastern horizon, and head out about 30 minutes before sunrise to spot fingernail-thin crescent Moon right next to the planet Mercury in the pre-dawn sky. A pair of binoculars will help you pull an image of the pair out of the brightening sky. Westward (above) this pair you will also see the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Venus in the constellation Leo. The event favors observers in the northern hemisphere, but it is also visible in the south, although the sky will be slightly brighter when Mercury emerges above the horizon.

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Venus in the Daytime

October 9, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

The crescent Moon and the planet Venus (at upper left) in near local noon on October 8, 2015.

Venus blazes in the eastern sky well before dawn this month. The planet, which is now roughly half lit by the Sun, shines at a brilliant magnitude -4.4 just above its fellow planets Jupiter and Mars. All now lie below the underbelly of the constellation Leo, the Lion. On October 8, 2015, a faint crescent Moon led Venus into the daytime sky. With the Moon to guide the way, keen-eyed observers could see the planet well into the late morning and early afternoon. This image, taken hand-held with a borrowed and ancient DSLR and 18-55mm lens, shows Venus and the Moon just before noon local time on a slightly hazy day near Washington, DC. Venus is the little white dot at upper left.

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Moon Joins Planets at Sunrise

October 2, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Venus, Jupiter, Mars, the crescent Moon, and the bright star Regulus in the eastern sky on the early morning of October 8, 2015

Set your alarm to wake early on October 8, 2015 to see three bright planets, a bright star, and a waning crescent Moon stacked up along the ecliptic in the eastern sky before sunrise. Over the next few weeks, the planets will bob and weave among the stars of the constellation Leo. As the early mornings turn colder in the northern hemisphere and warmer in the south, the planets will slowly converge. First, Mars and Jupiter will approach within a degree of each other on October 17-18, then Venus will join the two on October 26-27. Find a view of the eastern sky and see the solar system in action before the sun rises. It’s a good way to start the day.

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