Venus Week in the Northern Hemisphere
Astronomers announced the week of Venus - from March 20 to March 25 in the northern hemisphere the planet will be visible both in the evening and in the morning. This is a rare occurrence, occurring twice every eight years. And besides, Venus is now coming very close to the Earth, and you can check the sharpness of your vision by trying to see the Venus sickle with the naked eye.
Venus on March 14, photo by kryptonik Astroforum
The inclination of the plane of the orbit of Venus is 3.4 ° to the ecliptic. Therefore, when a planet passes between the Earth and the Sun (this is called the “lower connection”), it is above or below the Sun.
The configuration of the planets, SSsilver / Wikipedia scheme.
Twice every eight years, Venus is so much higher that in the northern hemisphere of the Earth it becomes visible both in the evening and in the morning. In the area of 55 latitude, where most of the major Russian cities are located, this can be observed approximately from March 20 to March 25, 2017.
55 latitude, evening, look to the west, left 20, to the right March 25, illustration from the planetarium Stellarium
55 latitude, morning, look to the east, to the left 20, right March 25, illustration from the planetarium Stellarium
Last time it was in January 2014, and in the future it will happen in January 2022 and March 2025. The coincidences of the months are not accidental - for 8 Earth years, Venus makes almost exactly 13 revolutions, and the relative position of the planets is repeated. If you draw the Earth-Venus lines for these 8 years, you will get a very beautiful figure, which is called the Venus pentagram:
A small clarification, here the viewer looks from below the ecliptic plane. At the usual gaze from the selected North Pole as a standard, the planet's ecliptic rotate counterclockwise
The fact that Venus will be in the lower junction means that it will come closer to the Earth. The distance will decrease to 0.28 astronomical units, and the angular size of Venus will reach 59 angular seconds, which is on the verge of the capabilities of the human eye. Now Venus is a very thin sickle, which is formed according to the same physical principles as the very thin sickle of the Moon in the area of the new moon.
Venus on February 7 and 17, March 5 and 9, 2017, photo by TEvg user
Venus Astroforum , photo by Shahrin Ahmad
The anticyclone is now active in the Urals and Volga region, the weather is good, it's time to look at the sky. In Moscow, partly cloudy promise on Tuesday and by the end of the week, there is a chance to see the rare position of Venus.
Venus on March 14, photo by kryptonik Astroforum
Lower connection features
The inclination of the plane of the orbit of Venus is 3.4 ° to the ecliptic. Therefore, when a planet passes between the Earth and the Sun (this is called the “lower connection”), it is above or below the Sun.
The configuration of the planets, SSsilver / Wikipedia scheme.
Twice every eight years, Venus is so much higher that in the northern hemisphere of the Earth it becomes visible both in the evening and in the morning. In the area of 55 latitude, where most of the major Russian cities are located, this can be observed approximately from March 20 to March 25, 2017.
55 latitude, evening, look to the west, left 20, to the right March 25, illustration from the planetarium Stellarium
55 latitude, morning, look to the east, to the left 20, right March 25, illustration from the planetarium Stellarium
Last time it was in January 2014, and in the future it will happen in January 2022 and March 2025. The coincidences of the months are not accidental - for 8 Earth years, Venus makes almost exactly 13 revolutions, and the relative position of the planets is repeated. If you draw the Earth-Venus lines for these 8 years, you will get a very beautiful figure, which is called the Venus pentagram:
A small clarification, here the viewer looks from below the ecliptic plane. At the usual gaze from the selected North Pole as a standard, the planet's ecliptic rotate counterclockwise
See with the naked eye
The fact that Venus will be in the lower junction means that it will come closer to the Earth. The distance will decrease to 0.28 astronomical units, and the angular size of Venus will reach 59 angular seconds, which is on the verge of the capabilities of the human eye. Now Venus is a very thin sickle, which is formed according to the same physical principles as the very thin sickle of the Moon in the area of the new moon.
Venus on February 7 and 17, March 5 and 9, 2017, photo by TEvg user
Venus Astroforum , photo by Shahrin Ahmad
The anticyclone is now active in the Urals and Volga region, the weather is good, it's time to look at the sky. In Moscow, partly cloudy promise on Tuesday and by the end of the week, there is a chance to see the rare position of Venus.
