Venus as Brilliant 2019-20 Evening Star

[CentaurZ]

Brilliant Venus has commenced its apparition in the western sky after sunset following its superior conjunction behind the Sun on 2019 AUG 12. It will become its highest and brightest during the upcoming spring.

Photos and descriptions of Venus during this apparition would be welcome additions to this thread.

 

[andrew63]

Just caught a brilliant Venus low down. Bright speck iphone shot in clearing.

andrew

[Littleguy80]

Looked stunning against the sunset this evening. The photo doesn’t do just for how bright it is. 

[Raph-in-the-sky]

On 29/11/2019 at 22:39, CentaurZ said:

Brilliant Venus has commenced its apparition in the western sky after sunset following its superior conjunction behind the Sun on 2019 AUG 12. It will become its highest and brightest during the upcoming spring.

Photos and descriptions of Venus during this apparition would be welcome additions to this thread.

 

Hello,

I struggle a bit to understand when I am supposed to look for inferior planets. Could you please help me with this?

Is Venus going to be observable during the whole spring, every day? Evening or morning viewing? When will the disc be the widest (viewed from earth obviously)? 

Cheers,

Raph

[CentaurZ]

2 hours ago, Raph-in-the-sky said:

Hello,

I struggle a bit to understand when I am supposed to look for inferior planets. Could you please help me with this?

Is Venus going to be observable during the whole spring, every day? Evening or morning viewing? When will the disc be the widest (viewed from earth obviously)? 

Cheers,

Raph

 

An inferior planet (Mercury or Venus) alternates as an evening or morning star, i.e. visible shortly after sunset or before dawn.

The entire synodic cycle for Venus is 19.2 months, half in the evening and half in the morning. For Mercury a synodic cycle averages 3.8 months. A synodic cycle is the time it takes for one planet to lap another in their race around the Sun.

Venus will indeed be visible in the western sky during the early evening from now through May, as illustrated in my chart above. Its angular diameter is widest during inferior conjunction with the Sun, but at that time it cannot be observed.

Below is another chart I created that may clarify the matter for you.

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by CentaurZ

[Raph-in-the-sky]

13 hours ago, CentaurZ said:

 

An inferior planet (Mercury or Venus) alternates as an evening or morning star, i.e. visible shortly after sunset or before dawn.

The entire synodic cycle for Venus is 19.2 months, half in the evening and half in the morning. For Mercury a synodic cycle averages 3.8 months. A synodic cycle is the time it takes for one planet to lap another in their race around the Sun.

Venus will indeed be visible in the western sky during the early evening from now through May, as illustrated in my chart above. Its angular diameter is widest during inferior conjunction with the Sun, but at that time it cannot be observed.

Below is another chart I created that may clarify the matter for you.

 

Thanks! That was a great explanation! I knew the jist of it but I was missing a time frame.

One more question... When does Venus become decently observable in its cycle coming from supperior conjonction? If I understand correcly the planet is observable in the evening about 6 month before inferior conjonction, becomes unobservable for a short time (how long?) close to inferior conjonction and then becomes observable again for about 6 month in the early morning... Am I getting this right?

[Pete Presland]

Already unmistakable in the evening skies, I pointed out to a passenger in my car a couple of days ago. His response was "it can't possibly be a planet, its too bright" funny what people think 🙂

[RT65CB-SWL]

10 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

Already unmistakable in the evening skies, I pointed out to a passenger in my car a couple of days ago. His response was "it can't possibly be a planet, its too bright" funny what people think 🙂

Oddly enough, my lady friend said the same thing to me back in 2017, when I pointed it out to her, whilst walking back to a car park. 😆

[Pete Presland]

5 hours ago, Philip R said:

Oddly enough, my lady friend said the same thing to me back in 2017, when I pointed it out to her, whilst walking back to a car park. 😆

The following afternoon doing the same journey (work 😞 ) i pointed it out again, just prove it was in fact it wasn't an helicopter/jet.

[CentaurZ]

On 05/12/2019 at 02:43, Raph-in-the-sky said:

Thanks! That was a great explanation! I knew the jist of it but I was missing a time frame.

One more question... When does Venus become decently observable in its cycle coming from supperior conjonction? If I understand correcly the planet is observable in the evening about 6 month before inferior conjonction, becomes unobservable for a short time (how long?) close to inferior conjonction and then becomes observable again for about 6 month in the early morning... Am I getting this right?

You're welcome. You are essentially correct. There is a roughly 5-month period centered on Superior Conjunction during which it is difficult or impossible to observe Venus. In the case of Inferior Conjunction that can be just a few days. In fact if Venus passes far north of the Sun during Inferior Conjunction, those of us north of the tropics may be able to view Venus as both an evening star and a morning star on the same date. After all of this has been said, keep in mind that Venus is observable by naked eye in the daytime, if one knows exactly where to look. 😎

Edited December 7, 2019 by CentaurZ

[scotty1]

Took this photo of Venus yesterday, it clouded up on my way to the lake 😞

 

Another shot with the moon on Dec 30th

 

[Guest]

On 06/12/2019 at 00:02, Philip R said:

Oddly enough, my lady friend said the same thing to me back in 2017, when I pointed it out to her, whilst walking back to a car park. 😆

It's amazing how many times poor Venus gets mistaken for an extra terrestrial visitor! 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Guest

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Couple of shots of Venus i took Saturday night. Really cant believe how bright it is.

1st shot is a poorly focused phone. The 2nd is Venus down the focuser at 150 mag.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Returning home with my lady friend, after visiting her son yesterday evening at LGW, Venus was looking brilliant.

I was tempted to get some images when I got home, as I had been at work at LHR since 0400 and my brain was in 'sleep' mode. 

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Thanks you for this info. I have had some great views of Venus so far and look forward to seeing it at maximum altitude in March!

[scotty1]

Two shots of Venus during the recent High pressure, while driving on the 19th of jan. i observed a fireball in the east about 17.15, later the same evening i took this photo. 

 

 

on another evening  Venus is setting