Over the next week Venus will be lost to the Sun’s glare. It is currently about 15° east of the Sun, but getting closer quite quickly now and becoming tough to spot in the sunset. The planet will pass through inferior conjunction on June 5th. The planet will appear in the dawn sky around mid June. When it does appear, it will again be in the company of Jupiter which passed through superior conjunction on May 5th. The two will again dance with each other and the Moon in mid to late June.
Of course, this upcoming inferior conjunction is just a bit special as Venus will pass directly in front creating the Venus Transit.
Even when low in the sunset, Venus is worth picking up in a telescope. As the planet approaches inferior conjunction it shows an ever more crescent appearance to our earthbound vantage point. During the last days of visibility it will be a razor thin crescent, worth the effort to look.
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