Amazing Astrophoto: The Phases of Venus

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Wow! Take a look at how Venus has changed in the night sky the past five months!

“The Planet Venus, The Roman goddess of love and beauty and the closest planet to us — especially now just as it gets closest — will transit across the Sun soon,” said astrophotographer Efrain Morales. “This sequence is a five month transition showing its size continuing to grow and its crescent getting thinner as time progresses.” Venus’ transit of the Sun will be on June 5/6, 2012, depending on your location. This won’t happen again in your lifetime, so don’t miss this opportunity.

Click on the image for a larger version to see all the details. Check out Efrain’s website and Flickr page for more astrophotos.

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3 Replies to “Amazing Astrophoto: The Phases of Venus”

  1. We can see Venus change shape rapidly as it closes with the Sun. However it will, for most of us, be moving into the thick atmosphere near the horizon. The flashing colours hide the real crescent – so try a Moon filter (Venus has a brighter surface area than the Moon) this will allow for unforgetable images. I use a polarising Moon filter – this consists of two parts which can be rotated against one another to vary the “darkness” of the filter. It is really good.

    NB must add the usual warning – avoid including the Sun in your eyepiece (or finder) if you want to see the transit!

    Roseland Observatory.

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