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Venus and the Moon Converge Sunday Night
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
08 August 2002
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EMBARGOED FOR Near the height of the annual Perseid meteor shower this year, another sky event provides a simple opportunity for anyone to spot a planet and identify a star or two. On Sunday Aug. 11, the Moon and Venus will hover relatively close to one another very near the western horizon in the evening. You won't even need a compass: Just go out and find the leftover glow of sunset. In that glow, Venus and the Moon will emerge. Both objects will be on their way down and will set early, so there is a tiny time window during which to see them in the fading twilight. By 9 p.m., they should be plainly visible to anyone with an unobstructed view of the horizon and a cloud-free sky. Sharp-eyed viewers in rural locations away from city lights could see them earlier. Venus is impossible to miss, or at least impossible to misidentify. It is the brightest point of light in the night sky, far outshining any star. But time is running out on Venus' evening show for this year. By late August, it will be very low on the horizon -- about to slip behind the Sun from our point of view -- and difficult for most people to spot. By mid-September, it is all but gone from the evening sky. On Sunday, the Moon will have just emerged from its new phase, which occurs tonight. That means the Moon is waxing, growing a bit fuller each night.If you find the pairing, you can then use it as a guidepost to spot the nearby bright star Spica, which will be above and to the left of Venus. And, of course, don't miss the Perseid meteor shower, which is worth staying up for (or getting up early for) all weekend and into Monday.Main Spacewatch Page : Details of the Perseid meteor shower and other skywatching tips
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