VENUS

Venus as Evening Star

Panorama of the western sky with Venus and the Moon as seen from Chicagoland 30 min after sunset from 2011 SEP 29 to 2012 JUN 01

Mercury & Venus - Elongations & Altitudes - 2012

Six charts on one graphic demonstrating the two inferior planets’ elongations from the Sun and altitudes above the horizon as viewed from latitude N 42° during 2012

Transit of Venus - 2012 JUN 05/06

Preview graphics in horizontal coordinates with zenith at the top & timings provided for the transit of Venus across the Sun for observers in 44 cities during 2012 JUN 05/06

Phases of Venus

Bipolar diagram illustrating the phase changes of Venus as viewed from Earth as the brilliant planet orbits the Sun

Pentagram of Venus

Diagram of the orbits of Venus and Earth showing how the positions at six successive inferior conjunctions can be connected to draw a pentagram (five-pointed star shape)

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                                         2012 EVENING APPARITION OF VENUS

That brilliant star-like object in the western sky after sunset is Venus. Its conjunction behind the Sun occurred on 2011 AUG 15 and it eventually became the Evening Star. Venus is easily the brightest celestial object other than the Sun and Moon. Venus is now performing as a bright shining beacon in the evening during the finest of its five apparitions during its eight-year cycle. This will conclude with a transit of Venus across the solar disk on 2012 JUN 05. The last Venus transit was in 2004, and the next after 2012 will be in 2117.

  Venus reached its greatest eastern elongation from the Sun of 46.0° on 2012 MAR 26. On MAR 27 for Chicagoland observers the planet achieved its highest altitude at 30 minutes after sunset of 37.8°. Venus was expected to be seen in dichotomy, i.e. 50% illuminated like a Half Moon about MAR 28. Before then it telescopically appeared as gibbous and afterward as a crescent. Venus’ greatest brilliance at magnitude -4.5 was expected around APR 29. It commenced apparent retrograde motion in right ascension on MAY 15. Venus will eventually fall to inferior conjunction and a transit across the Sun on JUN 05.

  The waxing crescent Moon will appear in the vicinity of Venus on MAY 22.

NOTE: Event dates are for North American Central Time at those moments nearest to 30 minutes after sunset from Chicagoland.

    © Curt Renz

Venus Angular Diameter - 2012

Graph of the apparent angular diameter of Venus measured in arcseconds during 2012  -  Distance in AU = 16.82 / angular diameter

Venus Illumination Phase - 2012

Graph of the percentage of Venus’ apparent disk illuminated during 2012

Venus Stellar Magnitude - 2012

Graph of the brightness of Venus measured in stellar magnitude during 2012