Venus currently shines bright in the morning sky. For those who don't want to miss the sight, be sure to catch it before the bright planet gets lost in dawn light.
Illuminated Venus Brightly Shines
The chart covers the view from south-south-east of London. This is at 7 a.m. GMT early this week.
On top of this, the waning crescent Moon will be nearing the horizon fastly. Its phase will also end up shrinking. On consecutive mornings, it will be passing through the massive red star Antares in the Scorpius. This will be taking place before it heads for a close encounter with the bright planet just 24 hours after.
Antares is massive. Its mass is roughly 14 times that of the Sun, and its diameter is roughly 680 times. It is also 76,000 times brighter compared to the Sun.
On the other hand, Venus does not shine. The planet is roughly Earth-sized and does not generate its own light. However, it appears bright due to the extremely reflective clouds that enswathe Venus and serve as sunlight mirrors.
With this, those who want to catch a glimpse of Venus should do so while it is still possible. By the end of the month, the planet would have neared the Sun from the vantage point of the Earth. Hence, it will appear lower in the sky. By early March, it will eventually get lost within dawn light.
ALSO READ: Venus Is Inhabitable; Life Could Exist Within Planet's Thick Clouds of Sulfuric Acid [Study]
Venus
Venus is the sixth largest planet and the second planet from the Sun. It is considered the solar system's hottest planet. At its nearest point, the planet is roughly around 61 kilometers away from Earth. It also resembles Earth in terms of size.
Its surface is hot and strong enough for it to melt lead. The planet's atmosphere is also so thick that, from its surface, the Sun appears as a light smear.
In several ways, Venus is opposite to Earth. For one, it has a backward spin. A day on Venus would also be equivalent to 243 days on Earth, with one year on Venus spanning 225 Earth days. Due to the extremely slow rotation of the planet, it takes 117 days for the sun to rise and to set.
The planet also does not have anything that resembles a season. While it could have once been an ocean world that was habitable, this would have been the situation at least one billion years ago.
Because of a runaway greenhouse effect, its entire surface water was converted into vapor. Then, this slowly leaked into outer space. Its present-day volcanic rock surface is blasted by intense pressures and temperatures.
The planet could also contain various lessons about the prerequisites of life on Earth, in the solar system, and in the galaxy.
RELATED ARTICLE: Venus May Have Had Earth-Like Plate Tectonics That Support Life Long Time Ago [Study]
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