dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (06/13/85)
Venus and the moon have a beautiful close approach before dawn on Friday. More -- after this. June 13 Venus and the Moon The planet Venus and our companion moon are visible in the east on Friday morning. They'll look beautiful -- both very bright -- and near each other in the dawning sky. All you have to do to see the pair is to get up before dawn on Friday -- and look toward a clear eastern horizon. Venus is just past its greatest elongation -- it greatest apparent distance from the sun as seen from Earth. From now until January of 1986, each day we'll see Venus appear to drift closer to the sun. But it won't change its position relative to the sun very much until this fall. It'll be in the east before dawn all this summer -- a brilliant beacon of light -- brighter than anything else up there besides the sun and moon. Venus is now moving ahead of Earth in orbit around the sun. But, since it's only one step closer to the sun than we are, it doesn't travel much faster in orbit than we do. Venus speeds along at about 21 miles per second -- compared to about 18 miles per second for the Earth. So our world is now falling behind Venus -- but we're not very far behind yet. Venus won't be on the far side of the sun from us -- and start rapidly plunging downward in our sky until this fall. So take a look -- Friday morning before dawn -- for Venus and the moon near each other in the eastern sky. They'll be close together -- and a truly lovely sight. Script by Deborah Byrd and Harlan Smith. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin