Astroblog: Venus in Daylight 30 January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Venus in Daylight 30 January 2009

Afternoon sky on January 30th, at around 6:oo pm (click to enlarge)

Venus is bright enough to be seen in daylight, but can be hard to find. On Friday 30 January Venus is just two fingerwidths above the crescent Moon making it much easier to find.

You should wait until the late afternoon, when Venus and the Moon are reasonably high. Make sure the Sun is hidden behind a building or wall or something substantial, so you cannot accidentally damage your eyesight.

The Moon will be around 44 degrees north from the Sun (around 6 5 handspans [double checked this afternoon], ie if the Sun is due west the Moon will be northwest). You may need to hunt for it a bit to see the relatively thin crescent against the bright sky. Once you have the Moon, Venus will be readily visible just above it.

Later in the evening, the pairing of the crescent moon and Venus will be quite beautiful.

Labels: Daylight, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:09 am

Comments:

I also like to spot Venus in the day. My tips (and a photo) are here
http://www.thevenustransit.com/2012/01/how-to-see-venus-in-day.html
It is fun to spot it and more fun to show it to other non astronomer. They never believe it is a planet...

# posted by