Venus at mid-day, a challenging target!

Hi,
Since the weather is still great I had a look at the sun through the scope (with a filter of course) and there is very little to see, there's a small group on the limb but nothing to write home about.
I had a look at starrynight and saw that venus should be well positioned for daytime observing, well high and distant from the sun, over 35 degrees away.
So I had a look and the view was turbulant to say the least, it was almost impossible to focus it, all the same I put on the toucam and had a try to image it.

www.irishastronomy.org/user_resources/fi...2300-venus4_a_p1.jpg

It's at magnitue -3.97 with a 2/3 phase at around 20 arcseconds.

I took very serious precautions so that there was no way that any sliver of the sun could get on the optics, remembering that even a tiny amount of sun light will permanently blind your eye.
If you want a challenge, go have a look for it, using a goto scope is by far the safest way of finding it, for a safer approach, try look for it on the eastern horison before sunrise.

That's an impressive bit of observing! Definitely a productive bandholiday weekend!

I've got venus in daytime before but today for some reason, the seeing was like viewing from the bottom of a pond.! :lol:

If you want a challenge, go have a look for it, using a goto scope is by far the safest way of finding it, for a safer approach, try look for it on the eastern horison before sunrise.

I managed this easily last time I tried. Granted that was about 3 minutes after the soalr eclipse

Managed to keep an eye on it for about 15 minutes, but once I'd lost it it was impossible to find again.

Cheers,
~Al

ah yes, who could forget get the roar of "there's venus", to be followed a few minutes later by " foget venus, look at the sun" :lol: :lol:

I had a good stare with the naked eye in the location where the scope was pointing today and there was no sign of Venus, is it possible to see a mag -4 venus is proper daytime ?, has anyone done this (and I don't mean when the sun is near the horison).

Very well done Dave hard to get it during the day and there is a lovely phase there :!: