Evening Star in the Morning

  As seen from our home planet, Venus never strays more than 45 degrees from the Sun.  Because of this fact it either is referred to as the Evening Star when it sets after the Sun or Morning Star if it rises before the Sun.  Today is one of the few days every eight years when it is both.

  Since last summer Venus has been hanging out in the western sky at dusk.  By Saturday it will pull even with Earth in the race around the Sun then become a prominent beacon in the dawn sky this spring and summer.  As a result of the plane of its orbit being inclined with respect to Earth's orbit, Venus will not align with the Sun but rather pass nearly 9 degree north of it as seen from where we stand.   That nine degree difference will for a few days allow the planet to precede the Sun in the morning while lingering in the western sky after sunset.

   Today our sister planet rose at 7:17 AM (30 minutes before the Sun) and will set at 8:44 PM (44 minutes after the Sun).  I was able (with the aid of binoculars) to find Venus just 9 minutes after it rose when its 1.6% illuminated crescent was just 1.3 degrees above the horizon.  I took the following photo about 5 minutes later when it was 2.1 degrees high.

  This evening I'll try to get a shot of it after sunset.  Stay tuned. Update - got clouded out for evening observation attempt. Will try again tomorrow.

  Here are a couple of not-to-scale diagrams illustrating how the planet can be observed both before sunrise and after sunset.