Astroblog: See Venus and the crescent Moon, Morning Saturday 26 April

Saturday, April 26, 2014

See Venus and the crescent Moon, Morning Saturday 26 April

Morning sky on Saturday April 26 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am ACST. Venus is near the thin crescent Moon. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. (click to embiggen).

This Saturday morning will see the crescent Moon close to Venus, this will be lovely to look at, and a nice subject for photography.

Saturday morning is also a good time to see Venus in the daytime. Venus can be readily visible during the day if you know where to look. Using the Moon as a handy guide will help you find it.

Make sure the Sun is hidden behind something solid like a building or a wall when you are looking for Venus, not trees or your hand. Exposing your eyes directly to the glare of the Sun can be very dangerous and you could potentially lose your sight.

Look for the crescent Moon, and Venus should be visible as a bright dot about three finger-widths to the right of the Moon (and just slightly above it). It's best to look just after Sunrise when the Sun is still low and the sky is less bright. You may need to look carefully for a while before Venus "pops" out at you. Sometimes locating Venus in binoculars will help with locating it with the unaided eye.

Labels: Daylight, Daytime, Moon, unaided eye observation, Venus