Shortly after sunset, Venus commands attention in the western sky. Tonight (October 12, 2024) and for the next several nights another heavenly interloper may be visible as well. About 30 degrees to the right of Venus and slightly lower, comet Tsuchinshan (A/2023 A3) should be visible to the naked eye and through binoculars. It willContinue reading “Sky Delight Tonight”
Tag Archives: Venus
Evening Star
It isn’t actually a star, but it is the star of the evening light show now and will be for the next several months. Venus is coming around from behind the Sun and is nearly at “full” phase similar to the full moon. For the next several months it will gleam in the evening skyContinue reading “Evening Star”
Sunset Siblings
Venus, the small dot near the right horizon, has taken its place as the evening star once again while the grinning crescent moon lies higher in the twilight sky. Together, they trace the path that the sun will appear to follow as it heads south towards fall and then on to winter. #venus #moon #sunContinue reading “Sunset Siblings”
Skinny Side of Morning
It was not surprising to see thin, waning crescent moon in the early morning, but Venus? Yes, even Venus shows phases as can be seen in the telescopic images above. It recently passed between the sun and earth, and was nearly invisible then. Now it is rising higher and higher in the sky and veryContinue reading “Skinny Side of Morning”
Morning Star
Venus, the bright point of light that was visible in the evening sky for so much of the year, has passed between earth and sun and now is arising in the twilight before dawn. It will dominate the morning sky for the remainder of the year. Though it was named after the goddess of loveContinue reading “Morning Star”
Just Passing Through
Yesterday morning the Moon passed by Jupiter on its monthly trek around earth. This scene will repeat itself over the next several months as we head into fall and on towards winter. Before long, Venus will rise in the morning sky as well and provide the opportunity to see the three brightest planetary objects inContinue reading “Just Passing Through”
Twilight’s Last Gleaming
On the day before the summer solstice, storm clouds parted briefly to reveal a glimpse of the thin crescent moon and Venus hovering over the western horizon. Though rain drenched that day as well as the night the followed, this brief respite certainly brightened the spirits. #moon #venus #twilight
Grinning Again
As promised last week (“Vertical Moon” at: https://eskildoodle.com/2023/04/16/vertical-moon/ ), the evening crescent Moon is grinning once again. Just a week ago it appeared nearly vertical as it approached the Sun in the morning sky, but now it appears to lay nearly horizontal like the Cheshire Cat’s grin. The astronomical explanation for this is related toContinue reading “Grinning Again”
Ecliptic Essence
Since last night the Moon has passed by Venus and risen to side of Jupiter. In doing so it has followed the ecliptic, which is the orbital plane of the solar system and courses through the constellations of the zodiac. The ecliptic follows the plane of the protoplanetary disk from which the whole solar systemContinue reading “Ecliptic Essence”
Smiley Moon and Planets
As promised in yesterday’s post, the Moon obligingly appeared at sunset last night. Tonight, it will be up above Jupiter at the top of the image. Wow, what an amazing apparition of our solar siblings! #jupiter #venus #moon #sunset
