Some news below, but first: Around now may be the earliest chanceto glimpse Venus creeping out from behind the curtain of the Sun.
Venus was at superior conjunction – that is, passed around behind the Sun – on January 9; and slowly leaves the Sun behind. In the remote background is Neptune. When the Moon came by on Feb. 17, there was a brief “trio” – three bodies, Moon, Venus, Neptune, clustered together in a small circle – and there will be a tighter trio when Mercury comes out to join Venus and Neptune on Feb. 25, but all these events are tantalizingly elusive because low to the twilight horizon.
What I really want to tell you is that “Astronomical Calendar 2018,” reachable by clicking the tab above, has additions: dates for the year’s meteor showers, a page with more about those, and some augmentation to the pages on the Moon and on eclipses.
If I haven’t missed this is there any chance of seeing Venus at about 30 minutes after sunset? I have found some images online but none compare with what used to be in the printed Astronomical Calendar complete with Mercury’s visits to the scene.
Jack, Venus is visible if you have a clear, transparent sky and a very low western horizon. I saw it from central Virginia on the 18th with binoculars, and after locating it, was barely able to see it with my unaided eye. Venus is bright enough to see earlier than 30 minutes after sunset if you use binoculars. Horizon and sky clarity are paramount this early in the apparition.
Last Friday February 16 the weather here in San Francisco was very clear. I left work a little early (thanks to my kind coworkers who indulge my skywatching habit), got home, grabbed the binoculars, and walked up Bernal Hill in time for sunset. About 20 minutes after sunset I was able to see Venus through the binoculars, and after a few minutes of systematic scanning, the ghostly thin waxing Moon, barely 28 hours old. Shortly after Venus became visible to the naked eye, a fusillade of firecrackers from below the hill announced the lunar new year, an important holiday for Chinese and other Asian communities. I was able to point out Venus to several passersby, and told them to watch as Venus climbs higher in the sunset sky during these coming months. After Venus set, the Moon was briefly visible to the unaided eye.
Thanks for the enhanced lunacy, Guy. Your diagrams are uniquely satisfying!
P. S. — I’ve seen the Moon every evening since, except for one cloudy evening. I’ve casually looked for Venus, but no luck since that one sighting last Friday.
The “SuperMoon” close to perigee Sun puts higher than usual stresses on the Earth, and within the two week period after, we’ve had a few Earthquakes during the “lag” period following, as those stresses were somewhat relieved!!
According to the attached link, the gravitational effect of the moon at perigee (and the earth at perihelion) is very slight but they may have an effect on earthquakes considering floating plate tectonics.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0523_050523_moonquake_2.html