CAN YOU SPOT VENUS?
DEAN:
HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, IM DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER
FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.
JAMES:
AND IM JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA
SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND
THE SKY TONIGHT.
YOU MAY KNOW THAT, OTHER THAN THE MOON, THE
PLANET VENUS IS THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE
NIGHT SKY.
DEAN:
WHETHER YOU CALL IT THE MORNING STAR, THE
EVENING STAR, THE FIRST STAR YOU SEE AT NIGHT,
OR A U.F.O.,
THIS PLANET IS UNMISTAKABLE.
IT IS SO INCREDIBLY BRIGHT!
JAMES:
BUT YOU PROBABLY HAVENT SEEN VENUS IN
A WHILE.
THATS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN BEHIND THE SUN FOR
SEVERAL MONTHS, AND HAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH INVISIBLE.
DEAN:
BUT VENUS IS ROUNDING THE SUN AND HEADING
INTO THE EVENING SKIES SOON, AND SO WE WANTED
TO ISSUE A CHALLENGE: WHO CAN BE THE FIRST
PERSON TO SEE VENUS?
JAMES:
WE WILL GIVE YOU THE TIPS AND TRICKS TO SPOTTING
IT FIRST, SO YOU CAN CLAIM THE TITLE OF VENUSIAN
OBSERVER #1.
DEAN:
LETS SHOW YOU!
DEAN:
OKAY, WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR SATURDAY
OCTOBER 26TH A LITTLE BEFORE SUNSET.
TO SPOT VENUS YOULL NEED IMPECCABLE TIMING,
A CLEAR VIEW TO THE SOUTHWESTERN HORIZON,
AND NO CLOUDS.
JAMES:
AS THE SUN SETS, THE BRIGHTER STARS WILL POP
OUT.
THE FIRST STAR YOU MAY SEE, JUST ABOVE THE
HORIZON, IS NO STAR AT ALL.
IT IS THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAZZLING PLANET VENUS.
DEAN:
WELL, THAT WAS EASY.
THERE, I SPOTTED
VENUS ON SATURDAY
OCTOBER 26 JUST AFTER SUNSET.
CHALLENGE COMPLETED!
JAMES:
NOW HOLD ON, DEAN.
IT MIGHT NOT BE QUITE THAT EASY.
THIS WEEK YOU'LL HAVE TO LOOK FOR VENUS AT
JUST THE RIGHT TIME OF NIGHT.
IF YOU LOOK TOO EARLY, THE SUN WILL BE UP,
AND THE SKY WILL BE TOO BRIGHT.
IF YOU LOOK TOO LATE, VENUS WILL BE BELOW
THE TREES.
DEAN:
AH, AND OUR SIMULATED SKY IS ALSO GIVING US
THE ABSOLUTE BEST VIEWING CONDITIONS.
IF THERE ARE ANY CLOUDS NEAR THE HORIZON,
THEY COULD BLOCK VENUS - NOT TO MENTION TREES
OR BUILDINGS.
JAMES:
SO, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN START TO SEE
VENUS ON SATURDAY,
BUT IT WILL DEFINITELY GET EASIER AS THE WEEKS
GO ON.
JAMES:
AS WE APPROACH VENUS, WE CAN SEE THAT THIS
PLANET IS ABOUT 7,500 MILES IN DIAMETER - JUST
SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN EARTH.
ITS OFTEN CALLED OUR SISTER PLANET FOR THIS
VERY REASON.
DEAN:
HOWEVER, THAT IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END,
BECAUSE UNDER A THICK BLANKET OF CARBON DIOXIDE
LIES A BATTERED, SWELTERING SURFACE THAT IS
900 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
JAMES:
UM, IS IT GETTING HOT
OUT HERE?
DEAN:
ALSO THE AIR PRESSURE, UNDER ALL THAT ATMOSPHERE,
WOULD BE SO INTENSE THAT IT WOULD SQUISH YOU
FLAT.
JAMES:
I DONT FEEL SO GOOD.
DEAN:
AND FINALLY WHEN IT RAINS ON VENUS
JAMES: OH NO
DEAN:
IT RAINS SULFURIC ACID.
SO, THAT WOULD LEAVE ANY VISITOR TO VENUS,
LIKE JAMES OVER THERE, A MELTED, SQUISHED,
ACIDY PILE OF GOOP.
JAMES:
OKAY, I THINK WEVE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH.
LETS GET BACK OUT IN SPACE!
DEAN:
THOSE CLOUDS THAT SQUISHED AND RAINED ACID
ON JAMES BACK THERE ARE ALSO WHAT MAKE VENUS
SO BRIGHT.
JAMES:
THATS RIGHT DEAN.
ALL OF THE PLANETS REFLECT LIGHT FROM THE
SUN - THATS WHY WE CAN SEE THEM AT NIGHT.
BUT VENUS ATMOSPHERE IS THE MOST REFLECTIVE
OF ANY PLANET.
PLUS VENUS IS RELATIVELY LARGE, AND CAN COME
RELATIVELY CLOSE TO EARTH.
DEAN:
THAT COMBINATION MAKES VENUS SUPER-BRIGHT!
JAMES:
WE'RE BACK ON EARTH AGAIN, ON SATURDAY OCTOBER
26TH JUST AFTER SUNSET.
THERES VENUS, JUST BARELY ABOVE THE SOUTHWESTERN
HORIZON.
DEAN:
VENUS WILL GET EASIER TO SEE AS THE DAYS AND
WEEKS GO ON.
IF WE LOOK AGAIN, DAY BY DAY, HERE IS THE
VIEW ON THE 27TH
THE 28TH
AND THE 29TH.
VENUS DIDNT GET MUCH HIGHER ABOVE THE HORIZON
BUT OUR FRIEND THE MOON CAME AROUND TO HELP.
JAMES:
A SLIM, WAXING CRESCENT MOON WILL BE JUST
ABOVE VENUS ON THE 29TH AND THIS CAN HELP
YOU IN YOUR SEARCH.
AND MERCURY WILL BE THERE TOO- BUT IT WILL
BE TOUGH TO SPOT.
BONUS POINTS IF YOU
SEE IT.
DEAN:
SO ACCEPT OUR CHALLENGE AND
TRY TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO SPOT VENUS IN
THE NIGHTTIME SKY.
LET US KNOW WHEN YOU SEE VENUS AND SHARE SOME
PICTURES
WITH US AT: WWW.STARGAZERS
ONLINE.ORG.
JAMES:
YOU MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO FIND IT AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE WEEK.
BUT IF NOTHING ELSE LOOK FOR THE CRESCENT
MOON NEAR VENUS ON THE 29TH.
DEAN:
ITS ALL THERE WHEN YOU
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!