Morning star Venus: brighter, earlier each Sept morn in 2007 By William Atkins |
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Sunday, 16
September 2007 |
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The planet Venus, sometimes called
the Morning Star when it appears in the
dawn sky, is rising higher and earlier, and getting brighter, with the
beginning of each new day during the months of September and October in
2007.
Astronomers are predicting that it will reach its maximum brightness on September 23, 2007 (which is also the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere), when it will be about nineteen times brighter than the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius (or the “Dog Star”). Sirius (which is part of the Winter Triangle that is made up
of
Betelgeuse, Procyon, and Sirius) is located in Canis Major, or the Big
Dog. As comparison, at that time, Venus will also appear to be about
ten times brighter than the second brightest planet in the night sky,
Jupiter. During the end of September and early into October, Venus, the
second
closest planet to the Sun, will appear close to the star Regulus and
the planet Saturn. Saturn will be to the left of Venus and below it in
the sky. |