Each morning before dawn, a bright point now hangs low in the east-southeast, and those who step out early may pause at it without knowing its name. It is Venus, which slipped from the evening sky after passing between Earth and the sun on Oct. 24 and emerged in the morning light. Its brilliance will crest on Nov. 29, a reminder that the old rhythms of sky and season still reach into ordinary lives, even in an age that rarely looks up.
Venus Climbs Into the Dawn Sky, Reaching Peak Brilliance Nov. 29
A couple of weeks ago it wasn't there. Now it is hard to miss.
Mark
Why is a planet suddenly showing up in the morning sky?
Mimi
On Oct. 24 Venus passed between the Earth and the sun, an event called inferior conjunction. That moved it from the evening sky to the morning sky, and it has been rising earlier each day since.
Mark
How much earlier?
Mimi
About three minutes a day. It's now up more than 90 minutes before sunrise, and by Dec. 17 it will rise 3 hours 50 minutes before the sun.
Luke
Those are projections from the source, though, and they're given as approximate daily changes. I'd treat the exact times as depending on where you stand.
Mark
And the brightness figures?
Mimi
Peak is Nov. 29 at magnitude -4.9, which is 12 times brighter than Jupiter and 25 times brighter than Sirius.
Luke
Fair, but notice the shadow claim is hedged: only in rural spots with no light pollution, and only "might." That's not a promise.
Mark
What about seeing it in daylight?
Mimi
If you follow it through sunrise, it can show as a tiny white speck against the blue sky.
Luke
The source doesn't say how easy that is or what conditions help, so I'd call it possible rather than guaranteed.
Mark
And after December?
Mimi
It slides back toward the sun, vanishes in dawn twilight by July, and returns as an evening object about a year from now.
Il Polso
- A bright point that wasn't there weeks ago now demands attention on the commute before sunrise.
- Venus has crossed behind the sun's glare and reappeared in the morning, rising earlier with each passing day.
- On Nov. 29 it reaches magnitude -4.9, outshining Jupiter twelve times and Sirius twenty-five times.
- Rural watchers may see it cast a shadow, and it can even be spotted against blue daytime sky.
- After mid-December it begins a slow retreat toward the sun, fading into dawn by July before returning in the evening.
Each morning before dawn, a bright point now hangs low in the east-southeast, and those who step out early may pause at it without knowing its name. It is Venus, which slipped from the evening sky after passing between Earth and the sun on Oct. 24 and emerged in the morning light. Its brilliance will crest on Nov. 29, a reminder that the old rhythms of sky and season still reach into ordinary lives, even in an age that rarely looks up.
Anyone out the door before sunrise lately may have noticed a bright, star-like point low in the east-southeast. A few weeks ago it wasn't there. Now it is hard to miss, and it is Venus.
The change began on Oct. 24, when Venus reached inferior conjunction, passing between Earth and the sun. It slid out of the evening sky and into the morning one, and it has been climbing since, rising earlier each day. By Dec. 17 it will shine in a fully dark sky for more than two hours before dawn.
Its peak comes on Nov. 29, when it reaches magnitude -4.9, twelve times brighter than Jupiter and twenty-five times brighter than Sirius. Watchers in dark rural places may even see it cast a shadow, and if they keep looking through sunrise, it can remain visible as a tiny white speck in daylight.
After mid-December the planet begins its long slide back toward the sun. By late March it rises near dawn, and by July it vanishes into twilight for a summer sabbatical, returning next year as an evening object. So if someone mentions a strange UFO on the way to work, you know the answer: it's only Venus.
Anyone who has been out the door before sunrise lately, heading to work or school, may have noticed it: a bright, star-like point low in the east-southeast sky. A couple of weeks ago it wasn't there. Now it is hard to miss, and it is Venus.
The change traces back to Oct. 24, when Venus reached inferior conjunction. That is the moment the planet passes between the Earth and the sun, and in doing so it slid out of the evening sky and into the morning one. Since then it has been climbing, and the source describes this as one of its most striking appearances before dawn.
Right now Venus is rising more than 90 minutes before sunrise. Each day it comes up about three minutes earlier. By Dec. 17, it will rise 3 hours and 50 minutes ahead of the sun, and it will shine in a fully dark sky for more than two hours before the first trace of morning twilight appears.
Its brightest moment comes on Nov. 29, when Venus reaches magnitude -4.9. That makes it 12 times brighter than Jupiter, the nearest planetary rival, and 25 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest of the stars. Observers in rural areas without light pollution may be able to see it casting a shadow. If you keep watching through sunrise, it can remain visible to the naked eye in full daylight, a tiny white speck against the blue sky.
The piece also offers a seasonal framing: Venus as this year's "Christmas Star," glowing in the east, echoing the passage from St. Matthew.
After its high point in mid-December, the planet begins a long, slow slide back toward the sun. From New Year's Day through late March it will rise about 1½ minutes later each morning. By late March it will be coming up around the time dawn breaks, roughly 100 minutes before sunrise.
The decline continues through spring. By late June Venus will rise less than an hour before the sun, and by July it will disappear into the bright dawn twilight. It then takes what the source calls a "summer sabbatical," not returning until about this time next year, when it begins a fine evening apparition.
So if a friend or relative mentions a strange UFO on the way to work or school, you have the answer. It's only Venus. The next thing to watch is Nov. 29, when it reaches peak brightness.
Citazioni salienti
It's not E.T. It's only Venus.— Space.com
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