| 2024: The Apparitions of Venus (2023-12-04) ⬅︎ |
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Venus has been capturing the attention of stargazers for eons because of its brilliance — nothing is brighter in the night sky other than our Moon. Virtually everyone has looked up and been startled by its blazing light wondering what it could be.
Our ancestors noticed something peculiar about this bright object… there seemed to be two versions of it, one that appeared only in mornings before sunrise — the Morning Star, and one that appeared only in evenings after sunset — the Evening Star. They noticed that these appearances waxed and waned over time. Then the object would disappear for a few weeks or months only to reappear in its other form.
Our ancestors were bewildered. Ancient Greeks called the two apparitions Phosphorus and Hesperus, while Romans called them Lucifer and Vesper. In time, since the two were never seen together, it became clear that the two were really just one and its name became Venus for the Roman goddess of Love.
If you’d like to understand the apparitions, or appearances, of Venus from the perspective of a modern stargazer, then read on. By the end it will all make sense and you'll know the best times in which to view Venus.
Sidereal Year
Let’s start with its year. Earth’s year is 365.25 days. As the 2nd planet from the Sun, Venus orbits the Sun faster than Earth, taking just 225 days. This is known as a sidereal year because it is in reference to the Sun (sidus = star).
Synodic Year
But this is all a bit misleading for stargazing because we watch Venus from a moving Earth. After 225 days, Venus does not appear to be back to the same place because Earth has moved in its own orbit during this time. It takes Venus an additional 359 days to get back to the same place relative to us. This 584 day period is known as a synodic year (synodikos = meeting, as in two planets).
Here’s a video showing both the sidereal and synodic year:
A Stargazer’s Perspective of Venus
For stargazers, Venus' 584 day cycle is broken down into six steps. With each step, the viewing of Venus changes tremendously so it helps to know about each one. Pay particular attention to Steps 2 and 6 if you want to see Venus at its very best.
Step 1: Inferior Conjunction (Aug 12, 2023)
At the start of the cycle, Earth, Venus and the Sun are aligned. Venus is close to us on the near side of the Sun. In our sky, Venus is too close to the Sun to be visible, lost in the Sun’s glare for two weeks on either side of the conjunction (in the Starry Hill region). Venus then emerges from the Sun’s western (right) side. When the angular separation becomes great enough, it becomes visible right before sunrise in the eastern sky as the Morning Star. Viewing is challenging at first but, with each new day, Venus rises higher, brighter and longer before sunrise making it easy to view.
Step 2: Greatest Brilliancy (Sep 19, 2023)
About 36 days into its calendar, the angle between Venus and the Sun becomes just right so that Venus appears dazzlingly bright — up to 24 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in Earth’s night sky. People all over Earth can’t help but notice its blazing light in the eastern morning sky. This is the best time for viewing Venus as the Morning Star.
Step 3: Greatest Western Elongation (Oct 23, 2023)
About 72 days into its calendar, Venus reaches its maximum angular distance from the Sun (46°) allowing it to appear higher and longer in our sky -- a great time for viewing. After this, everything reverses… Venus begins its journey back toward the Sun in our sky causing it to appear lower and for less time with each new day.
Step 4: Superior Conjunction (Jun 4, 2024)
At the midpoint of the cycle, Earth, Venus and Sun are once again aligned. But this time, Venus is on the far side of the Sun. In our sky, Venus is too close to the Sun to be visible, lost in the Sun’s glare for a long two months on either side of the conjunction (in the Starry Hill region). Why so long? It’s because Venus is far from Earth and seems to move slowly in our sky. But something remarkable happens when Venus finally emerges from the Sun’s glare. Since it emerges from the Sun’s eastern (left) side, Venus becomes visible right after sunset in the western sky as the Evening Star. Viewing is challenging at first but, with each new day, Venus is higher, brighter and longer after sunset making it easy to view.
Step 5: Greatest Eastern Elongation (Jan 9, 2025)
In time Venus reaches its maximum angular distance from the Sun (46°) allowing it to appear higher and longer in our sky -- a great time for viewing. After this, everything reverses… Venus begins its journey back toward the Sun in our sky causing it to appear lower and for less time with each new day.
Step 6: Greatest Brilliancy (Feb 14, 2025)
About 36 days before the upcoming Inferior Conjunction, the angle between Venus and the Sun becomes just right so that Venus appears dazzlingly bright once again. This is the best time for viewing Venus as the Evening Star.
After this step, Venus returns to Step 1 where it becomes lost in the Sun's glare. As the cycle begins anew, Venus will make the big switch to the Morning Star.
As you can see, the best viewing of Venus in the current cycle already happened in the second half of 2023. The 2024 year is centered on the Superior Conjunction which means poor viewing for much of the year. It won’t be until late 2024 and early 2025 that Venus will once again be at its best in our skies.
Good things come to those who wait! |
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