Category: Planet Events

Venus Appears in the Dawn

Venus is quickly rising in the dawn, appearing higher each morning. Today the planet will rise at 06:08HST, about 50 minutes before the Sun and be almost 12° above the horizon at sunrise. The planet will be quite prominent in the dawn sky for the next few months, reaching maximum elongation on March 22nd at 46.6° west.

When the planet rises far enough to catch in a telescope you will see a thin crescent that waxes a little each day.

Look for a nice pairing of this brilliant planet and a thin crescent Moon on the morning of January 28th.

Venus at Inferior Conjunction

Today, at 02:25HST, the planet Venus will pass through inferior conjunction, passing between the Earth and the Sun. Venus will remain hidden from view for another week, emerging in the dawn sky around the 18th. Maximum elongation will be on March 22nd at 46.6°W.

Unlike 2012 there will be no transit, from our point of view the planet will pass over 5° north of the Sun. The next transit will not occur until 2117.

Jupiter at Opposition

Jupiter will pass through opposition at 09:49HST today.

Jove
Jupiter and the moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto (left-right)
Jupiter orbits the Sun once every 11.86 years. As the giant planet continues on its way the Earth swings around much faster on our inside track. As a result we lap Jupiter once every 399 days, passing between the planet and the Sun. During opposition Jupiter will rise at sunset, transit at midnight, and set at dawn. This makes the planet available for observation for the entire night.

Look for a bright object rising in the eastern sky after sunset. It is difficult to mistake for anything else, shining at it’s brightest during opposition, a brilliant -2.7 magnitude. For the remainder of the winter and much of the spring, the planet will be quite prominent in the evening sky.

Venus Disappears into the Sunset

Crescent Venus
Venus approaching inferior conjunction, 24Dec2013
Over the next few days Venus will slide into the sunset on its way to inferior conjunction on January 11th. This evening the planet is 16° from the Sun, this decreases by about 1° each day. As the new year begins the planet will become ever more challenging to see as it orbits into the Sun’s glare.

Tomorrow night, January 1st will see a nice conjunction of Venus and a thin crescent Moon

Mercury at Maximum Elongation

Today Mercury reaches maximum elongation, the furthest point it will reach from the Sun in the sky and the highest it will be above the sunrise for this morning apparition. The planet is easily visible as a bright, starlike object about 19° above the rising Sun as the twilight begins. Over the next couple weeks Mercury will slide back into the sunrise, heading for superior conjunction on December 28th.

Continue reading “Mercury at Maximum Elongation”

Saturn at Superior Conjunction

Today at 01:29HST Saturn will pass through superior conjunction with the Sun. The planet will reappear in the dawn sky later in the month.

On the 23rd and 24th Saturn will be quite near the brightening comet C/2012 S1 ISON and the planet Mercury, creating an odd planet and comet conjunction. The trio will have about 5° separation. Even more odd, the comet 2p/Enke will be inside the triangle formed by the trio, probably at 7th magnitude.