NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE VENUS THIS YEAR

Astronomy Magazine Press Release

WAUKESHA, WI — The “morning star” Venus lights the sky before dawn,
heralding spring’s arrival. On March 25, the brilliant planet reaches
its greatest western elongation — when the planet is as far west of
the Sun as possible. Then, it sits just above the horizon in the
east-southeast sky 2 hours before sunrise. Look for the waning
crescent Moon passing to the right of the “morning star.” Venus will
be the bright object just to the upper left of the Moon.

Each day thereafter, Venus’ sky position sinks closer to the horizon.
Venus shone at its brightest, magnitude –4.6, in February, but the
planet will dominate the morning sky throughout summer.

Take a Look

To the naked eye, Venus’ light rivals only moonshine in the early
morning sky. But you can use a telescope to watch as the planet
changes phases, like the Moon’s, during the year. By March 25, its
globe measures 25" through a telescope and has fattened to half-lit.
It’s at its brightest for the year now; even though the phase
increases, its angular size decreases as the Earth-Venus distance
increases.

Venus’ Orbit

Our “sister planet” lies an average of 67 million miles (108 million
kilometers) from the Sun. Because Venus lies closer to the Sun than
Earth, it always appears close to our star in the sky.

On March 26, Venus and the Moon help you spot a rarely seen planet:
Neptune. At about 5 a.m. local time, Venus appears slightly north of
(above) Neptune. The Moon lies just below and to the left of the
planets.

Quick Facts

- Venus orbits the Sun in 225 days.

- The planet is about 7,521 miles (12,104 km) in diameter, or 95
percent the size of Earth.

- Venus spins on its axis once every 243 days, but it spins in the
opposite direction of Earth — on Venus, the Sun rises in the west
and sets in the east.

- Venus’ atmosphere is thick sulfuric-acid clouds, which reflect
sunlight extremely well.

- The surface temperature on Venus can approach 900º Fahrenheit (482º
Celsius); it’s the hottest place in the solar system after the Sun.

- In Roman mythology, Venus was identified with the goddess of love
and beauty, Aphrodite. To the ancient Mayans, Venus was the patron
planet of warfare called Kukulcan (the feathered serpent).

Also in the Sky

- Throughout March — Saturn lies high in the southeast. An hour after
sunset, the ringed planet shines at magnitude 0 and stands among the
faint stars of Cancer the Crab.

- Through the end of March — Jupiter can be spotted in the southwest
sky in the predawn sky.

- Wednesday, March 29 — A total solar eclipse darkens the sky over
northern Africa and Asia. Astronomy magazine is leading two tour
groups through the eclipse path. Visit Astronomy.com for special
coverage.