{"id":45426,"date":"2023-05-29T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-29T10:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=119096"},"modified":"2023-05-29T10:32:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-29T10:32:31","slug":"follow-daytime-venus-as-it-reaches-50-lit-phase-then-shrinks","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/follow-daytime-venus-as-it-reaches-50-lit-phase-then-shrinks\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow daytime Venus as it reaches 50%-lit phase then shrinks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Observe Venus throughout the summer months and watch its phase shrinking. <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 29 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Venus reaches dichotomy<\/a>, when it will be 50%-\u200billuminated, on 4 June \u2013 in theory at least.<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, when Venus<\/a> is in the evening sky this occurs a few days earlier than prediction, due to atmospheric \u2018adjustment\u2019, a phenomenon known as the Schr\u00f6ter effect.<\/span><\/p>\n

The evening 50% phase represents the transition from a gibbous Venus into a crescent Venus, and where this planet is concerned, its crescent is very beautiful indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Phases\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Phases of Venus. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

A good challenge for the coming weeks as we head into June 2023 is to follow the development of the phase as the crescent gets thinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because we\u2019re dealing with daytime observing here, a word of caution: never observe or image the Sun with\u00a0the naked eye or any unfiltered optical instrument.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Similarly, take great care when observing other targets with optical equipment after sunrise. If in doubt, do not attempt it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\""Moon\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The Moon and Venus photographed by Brian Johnson from his bedroom window just before sunrise, February 2019 with a Canon EOS 50D DSLR camera.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Finding daytime Venus<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You might think that Venus isn\u2019t hard to find and the crescent is easy to see through a telescope.<\/p>\n

While both statements are true, the position of Venus in the evening sky deteriorates through June, its altitude and stability degrading as a result.<\/p>\n

The best way to view it is to find it during the day. You can either use your telescope\u2019s Go-To computer or old-school setting circles, but the net result is a higher planet with a more stable view of the crescent.<\/p>\n

Caution needs to be taken because the Sun will be above the horizon and relatively close.<\/p>\n

Never attempt to find Venus near the Sun unless you really know what you are doing and take maximum precautions.<\/p>\n

Failure to heed this warning could lead to equipment damage or, even worse, damage to your eyes.<\/p>\n

\""Moon,\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Moon, Venus and Jupiter Rising by Steve Brown, Stokesley, N. Yorkshire,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Photographing daytime Venus<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re an imager, a daytime view of Venus can be stabilised further by using an infrared-sensitive camera with an IR-pass filter fitted.<\/p>\n

This will dim the surrounding blue sky and give a view of the planet less affected by seeing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A high-frame-rate camera is idea for this. Capturing a few thousand short exposures will allow you to process the results in registration-stacking<\/a> software such as RegiStax<\/a> or AutoStakkert! to produce sharp renditions of the planet that can then be tweaked using your favourite graphics editor.<\/p>\n

For multiple captures, it\u2019s essential to record the date and time against each image to avoid confusion when you come back to them later.<\/p>\n

A common way to display the results is to combine them in a composite image showing the daytime sequence.<\/p>\n

If you are able to take many daytime images of the planet you\u2019ll see the phase decrease, and the planet\u2019s apparent size increase to reveal the full beauty of that spectacular crescent.<\/p>\n

Recording the crescent\u2019s development becomes addictive, but remember that every day closer to inferior conjunction on 13 August brings a need for increased caution as the planet\u2013Sun distance is decreasing too.<\/p>\n

It is possible to follow Venus through inferior conjunction in August, but it will be just 7.7\u00b0 from the Sun when this occurs.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve managed to photograph Venus, don\u2019t forget to send us your images<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This guide originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.<\/strong><\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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