Tonight's conjunction

I saw the names were the same, but didn't think it would matter. Thanks.

Not re-uploading it.
I'm nearing the end of my marathon for the evening.
Wall of pain and all that.

Replace "wall of pain" with alcohol-induced coma, and it would be a little more accurate.

Hey Joe! If yu get the energy, I'd love to see yours.

I did see it starting last night... one of our few recent clear nights. I was looking forward to having time to pull out the telescope and get a good viewing tonight

It's just clouds.
It's snowing here.
I was trying to throw out a quick funny.
It turned into a quagmire of non-funny.
Sorry for burning up thread-space.

Not sure if google sites go out this far since they try to be timely.

More:

25 & 26 Mar 2012 (both days): Moon - Jupiter - Venus At sundown to the west. Decent elevation above horizon.

14 & 15 Jul 2012 (both days): Moon - Jupiter - Venus Morning, starting about 2 hours before sunrise, decent elevation.

Not all that uncommon but nice none-the-less.

Have fun.


R.

nah, that was f*cking funny man! lol,, burning up thread space, i may borrow that some time

so whats this duncan? a post and run? the function of a conjunction?

nice pic

Great picture and I did get to see this
beautiful sight.

Awesome picture

Next smiley-face conjuction like tonight's is due in 2038.

See ya then

Okay, I'll try to explain it so that I can understand it too LOL!

First, Venus, like Mercury, is an inferior planet. This does not mean that they're smaller than Earth (although they are); it means that they're closer to the Sun than we are. (All the other planets, from Mars out, are superior planets.)

Anyway, sometimes Venus, like Mercury, is between us and the Sun (superior planets are never between us and the Sun, because they're further out). As Venus gets closer to us, the Sun only lights a part of it (at least as seen from us) and it "wanes" into a crescent, just like the Moon does. When Venus is actually in front of the Sun, the side we see is not lit at all (think of it as being a "New Venus").

When Venus is on the other side of the Sun, the Sun lights up its whole face and we see a "full Venus".

Right now, Venus is now a crescent, and if you had a decent 20- to 40-power scope, you could see it quite well. As the year goes on, it will gradually "wax" into a "full Venus" when it is on the other side of the Sun.

Two more things:

First, Mercury goes through the same waxing and waning as seen from the Earth, but since it is much closer to the Sun and never seems to bet more than about 20 degrees away from the Sun, it's pretty hard to see, because it's usually hidden in the Sun's glare.

Second, even though Venus goes from a crescent to a "full" venus, it's apparent brightness seems about the same. This is because, when it's a crescent, it's much closer to us, and when it's full, it's much further away.

Wax on, Wax off...but with proper crane technique, no can defense.



My wife "waxed" her "full venus" once. Very nice.

You're a sick puppy, Freethinker; that's what I like about you.