Ever seen a star that shines so bright that other stars can’t compare to it? Even the brightest star known as Sirius is not bright enough compared to it.
If you did then it’s not a star but a planet. Yes, we are talking about venus. But how come it’s not visible in the middle of the night?
Have you ever asked can we see Venus at midnight?
Venus is not visible at midnight from the earth’s surface. Because when we cross the midnight hours the venus stays hidden behind the sun. Shortly before the sunrise, Venus becomes visible to our sky. Because at that time venus changes its position by orbiting around the sun.
Sounds pretty interesting don’t you think? If you wish to know more we have a whole blog post about it.
Why Can’t We See Venus At Midnight?
Venus is the third brightest object visible to our naked eyes. The first two are the sun and moon. Although it’s so bright, unfortunately, it’s not possible to see Venus at midnight.
The reason is the position of the venus. It is the second closest planet in the sun’s orbit. During the nighttime, Venus’s position stays hidden by the earth. And that is why we can’t see Venus at midnight.
You won’t be able to observe Venus even with a refracting or reflecting telescope. But there are other times when it’s clearly visible from earth.
When Can We See Venus From Earth?
Source: travelandleisure
Although we can’t see Venus at midnight, it’s visible two times a day. As if it sets and rises each day. Venus can be seen in the morning just before the skylights are bright. It’s also visible in the evening time.
Due to showing up two times a day it’s called the morning and evening star. It shines vividly bright these two times of the day. Venus doesn’t rotate like earth rather it rotates backward.
For Venus night falls on the east and rises from the west. It’s visible for about nine and a half months as the morning and evening stars. You can observe this silvery-white morning star in the eastern sky.
January 1 to 23 is the best time to watch Venus in the dawn sky. For the evening appearance in the western sky, May 25 to December is the best time.
Can You See Venus During The Daylight?
Venus is named the morning star due to its appearance in the early dawn. However, when the sky gets brighter it’s hard to find it in the daylight.
This is due to Venus’s close position to the sun. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. Its surface is densely clouded with an enormous amount of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid.
The atmosphere of Venus is so thick that the sunlight can’t penetrate it through. As a result, the venus reflects most of the sunlight in space. Due to this, Venus shines brighter than any other planet in our sky.
However, in the daylight, this bright shine can’t reach our eyes. And that’s why it’s only visible for a short time at dawn time.
How Can We See Venus From Earth?
Venus is easily noticeable in the night sky with our naked eyes. We all must have seen it with or without knowing its identity. Venus shows up in our sky in different crescent shapes just like the moon.
When Venus stays in the opposite space of the sun it appears to be full. But at this time the distance between venus and earth is the farthest. So it appears to be small.
However, Venus moves around the sun with an enormous velocity than our earth. So it gradually overcomes the distance and appears to be bigger in size. As the sunlight falls on its surface the appearance changes to different shapes.
When it passes between the sun and earth it gets a crescent shape. However, it appears much bigger than it does when it’s seen in full shape.
We don’t even need a telescope to discover it in the sky. But to see the changing appearances of venus you might need help with a telescope.
How To See Venus With A Telescope?
Source: nbcnews
With the brilliant dazzling light, it’s very easy to spot venus with a telescope. Watching Venus from Earth makes it look like a star. It’s even brighter than the brightest star Sirius.
However, like other stars, Venus doesn’t reflect its own light. Rather it reflected the light from the sun. So if you follow the sun you can easily spot venus with a telescope. Maybe different-sized Dobsonian telescopes can help.
It’s best to observe Venus when it’s close to the earth. It shows its full appearance when the distance is closer. But because of how it closely orbits the sun it’s visible for a short time.
To see Venus you’ve to follow the coordination path of the sun. It is an imaginary line known as elliptic. It changes slightly from its position throughout the whole year.
The highest position of the elliptic occurs when the summer solstice happens. Similarly, the lowest position is gained when it’s the winter solstice.
The perfect view with the telescope is gotten when the elongation is nearly 46 degrees. Elongation refers to the ideal position angle between the sun and the earth. It only happens once or twice a year.
Here’s our recommendation for some of the best telescopes out there.
However, take caution before you plan on watching venus through a telescope. If you’re not using the right filters it might pose a threat to your eyes. It can even cause blindness. You can try some of the finest UHC filters.
Hopefully, this answers the queries you were looking for.
FAQs
When it comes to space and planets we can hardly ever clench our interest. That’s why we’ve added some more questions and answers that you might find interesting.
Can you see venus all year around?
No, Venus is not visible from the earth all year round. This is because of the different orbiting rates of venus and earth. There’s a time when Venus’s position is wholly hidden by the sun. The sun comes in the middle of venus and earth. So it’s not possible to see Venus at that time.
Can we see venus every day?
No, you can’t see venus every day. Although it’s said that you can see Venus twice a day. It’s not the case every single day. It’s visible in the evening for a few hours. But for the morning it’s only visible for a short time. When Venus is closest to the sun it’s almost impossible to find it in.
What does venus look like inside?
The surface of Venus is covered with volcanoes, craters, lava plains, and big mountains. The core of it is made of metallic iron just like earth. For the closest proximity to the sun and Venus’s atmosphere, it’s called the hottest planet. So from the inside, it has a reddish-brown surface colour.
Is Venus similar to Earth?
In some aspects yes. Venus is almost of the same size and mass as earth. The soil of venus is also similar to that of earth. That’s why venus is called the “earth’s twin”. However, there are many dissimilarities. The atmosphere and its orbiting system are especially different from earth.
How long is a year in venus?
Venus completes a full rotation around the sun in 0.615 earth years. This means it takes around 224 days for venus to orbit around the sun. one year on Venus is equivalent to 224 earth days.
Conclusion
So have you gotten the answer of can we see venus at midnight? We are optimistic that you did. Feasibly, our answers were knowledgeable for you.
Don’t forget to take safety measures before watching venus from the telescope. Remember that it’s very important.
Hope to see you soon in another stargazing post!
