Venus at Inferior Conjunction

Today Venus is at inferior conjunction, passing between the Earth and Sun. It will reappear in the dawn sky early next month to become the morning star for the remainder of 2017. The planet will reach maximum elongation on June 3rd at 46° from the Sun.

As Venus emerges from the Sun’s glare it will be a fine crescent, growing thicker each day as we see more of the sunlit side of the planet. While it is still low in the dawn it can be a fine telescopic target. It is these phases of Venus that Galileo noted 400 years ago, one more bit of evidence to the true, Sun centered, nature of our solar system.

Venus Events for 2017
		Date UT	Separation	Mag
Maximum Elongation		Jan 12	47.1°E	-4.4
Inferior Conjunction		Mar 25
Maximum Elongation		Jun 3	45.9°W	-4.3
Source: NASA Sky Calendar