Another Good Chance to See Venus During the Day

I blogged this last month and the Moon is back serving as a useful pointer to find Venus during the day. You will need to wait until the Sun is high in the sky (Venus doens't rise until well after the Sun). The Moon is a thin three day old crescent which can be challenging to find in the day, but be patient. The Moon will be west of the Sun. Once you find the crescent Moon look slightly above and to the left of the Moon (for northern hemisphere observers) to find Venus. The chart below (click to embiggen) was made for Tucson, Arizon at 1:00pm local time.

Venus will be slightly to the west of the Moon at 1:00pm, but the Moon moves about one Moon diameter per hour, so their relaive position may change depending on your time zone and what time you look (you can use Stellarium to make your own chart for your specific time and location).

Now a few tips. It is helpful if you can stand in a place where a building blocks the Sun from your view. Venus is best viewed when it hits the fovea, the most sensitive part in the center of your retina where we have the sharpest vision. Slowly scan around the Moon and have patience. Once you find it, you will be surprised you have never noticed it before.

With a little persistence, you can even photograph Venus during the day as Obrs showed us last month. I am at a meeting in Phoenix tomorrow, but am taking my camera and hope to give it a shot over lunch!

The Moon will be moving well to the west of Venus tomorrow. However, it is still possible to find Venus using the Moon as a guide...I will leave this challenge to you!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicst Blog.