Venus in the daytime

hi all,

it's kinda neat at the moment to observe Venus in the daytime.

at present, the planet is roughly the same altitude as the Sun at this time of day (around 1:30pm) and about 40° east of it (approximately four fist-widths to the left). Venus is not that hard to spot during the day though you do need a reasonable haze-free sky. Otherwise, the observation is a little more difficult.

the sky is feathered with high cirrus today so the planet is probably hiding behind some thread of cloud but maybe another clear blue day during the week will offer an opportunity to spy this burka-clad world.

a handy trick is to look at a distant object near the horizon and then quickly glance up to where Venus should be. Your eye will still be focused on infinity following that preparatory step. If you initially look at the spot where Venus should be, you'll find it a bit harder because the surrounding blank sky will stymie your eyes attempts to find a reference point to focus on.

another trick is to note where the Sun is above a landmark on the horizon and offset four fistwidths to the left of that. Then look above the new reference point at the same altitude as the Sun and you should be in the general ballpark.

blocking the Sun with the corner of a building or a tree is a good idea too.

a computer program such as Skyglobe will give you more accurate offsets in altitude and azimuth.

wait 'til dusk, and Venus shines with a particularly brilliant light above the southeastern skyline these evenings.

atb,

John

bump

I'd give this a go but there is not a single patch of clear sky here in Maynooth!

BB

That is pretty neat to know John! Unfortunately, fog has not lifted here all day. Still, there is plenty of time to try it in the next couple of weeks... right?

Seanie.

I looked at it just over 2 weekends ago before sunset up in my bedroom with the etx 70

Cool sight at about 40% sunlit

Keith..

Saw the daytime Venus (for the first time!) on Saturday (17/12/05) at 15:00 during what was a beautifully sunny winters day. What a sight! Difficult to pick out at first but once you find it you can easily locate it again. Strange to see it shining in a bright blue daytime sky.