Tag Archives: Venus

Venus Valentine

Venus Valentine

From Sky and Telescope

Fortuitously, the Planet of Love reaches greatest brilliancy on Valentine’s Day. At magnitude –4.9, it’s the equivalent of crushing a 1.4-day-old Moon into a point source. That’s bright! Bright enough to cast a shadow from a rural site on a moonless night. Count yourself lucky if you have snow cover. The added contrast makes it the perfect backdrop for shadow-spotting.

Venus casts shadows of the author and his tripod-mounted camera on a garage door on September 14, 2023, during the planet’s morning apparition. Shadows are crisp compared to those cast by the Sun because Venus is a point source, not an extended disk. If you try this experiment and have difficulty seeing your shadow, sway back and forth, and it should become more obvious. Bob King

If you’re wondering what to give your love for Valentine’s Day, consider the nearest planet. In the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, the fictional character George Bailey offers to lasso the Moon for his future wife Mary Hatch. Why not brandish your own imaginary lasso and “pull down” Venus for your sweetheart? (Don’t forget to have a box of specialty chocolates as a backup.)

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AN ALIGNMENT OF PLANETS

Space Weather News for Dec. 6, 2021
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AN ALIGNMENT OF PLANETS: Check out the sunset sky this week. Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are getting together with the Moon for a beautiful series of conjunctions. The 5-day show begins tonight, Dec. 6th, when the crescent Moon passes by Venus, and continues through Friday, Dec. 10th, when the celestial bodies stretch themselves into a dramatic straight line across the southwestern sky. Sky maps and observing tips @ Spaceweather.com.

 
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Above: Sunset planets photographed Dec. 3rd by Marek Nikodem in Szubin, Poland. The Moon is about to join them for a series of conjunctions.

Hint of possible life in clouds of Venus

Being fans of science fiction, you have probably already heard about the report that there are signs of possible life forms in the clouds of Venus. Don’t get excited, it’s a bit of a stretch, and the lifeforms–if they exist–are likely microbial.

But it is very interesting! If life can actually exist in the hellish conditions of Venus, it can certainly evolve in the clouds of the gas giants.

The story appears in many news sources, just Google life, clouds, Venus.

Here’s a good one:  https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54133538

VENUS-MOON CONJUNCTION

Space Weather News for Dec. 28, 2019
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VENUS-MOON CONJUNCTION: Tonight, Dec. 28th, the two brightest objects in the night sky are getting together for a beautiful display. Venus and the Moon are in conjunction, less than 2 degrees apart over the Americas. Look for them in the southwest just after sunset. The Moon is exquisitely slender and is going to look great beside the brilliant Goddess of Love. Sky maps and photos are highlighted on today’s edition of Spaceweather.com.

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Above: Venus and the Moon will be close together in the constellation Capricornus on Dec. 28, 2019.


VENUS-JUPITER CONJUNCTION AT SUNSET

First “stars” to show up as the sun goes down over Montreal. I saw the pair of them at dusk from the South Shore in the smog over Montreal on Sat evening. Lovely!  –CPL

Space Weather News for Nov. 24, 2019
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https://www.spaceweatheralerts.com

VENUS-JUPITER CONJUNCTION AT SUNSET: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest. Venus and Jupiter are in conjunction little more than a degree apart. Try to catch them before the sky fades to black. The sight of the two brightest planets, side-by-side, surrounded by twilight blue is out of this world. Visit Spaceweather.com for sky maps and photos.

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Above: Venus and Jupiter converging over Richmond, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 23rd. Photo credit: Joe Bonner. Browse the photo gallery for more.