John Chumack of Dayton, Ohio, took
the picture on May 14th using a 10-inch telescope.
"I was blown away by the sight of Venus,"
he says. "The planet was 14% illuminated, 47
arcseconds in diameter, and blazing at -4.43 magnitude."
The crescent shape of Venus is easy
to see in good binoculars or small
telescopes. No special observing experience
is required. Just find Venus in the western sky
after sunset (you can't miss it), point and look.
A good tripod to hold the optics steady is recommended.
As the evening wears on and Venus
sinks toward the horizon, the refractive effect
of Earth's atmosphere splits the crescent into the
colors of the rainbow. Kevin R. Witman of Cochranville,
Pennsylvania, observed the phenomenon on May 11th:
"Earth's atmospheric refraction of Venus's
ample light made a
beautiful image through my 10-inch telescope."
More images: from
Mark Marquette of Boones Creek, Tennessee; from
Philippe Vanden Doorn of Rixensart, Belgium; from
Luis Argerich of Buenos Aires, Argentina; from
Tomasz Gołombek of Tczew, Poland; from
Francesc Pruneda of Palamós, Catalonia (Spain);
from
Sadegh Ghomizadeh of Tehran, Iran;
Sourc: Spaceweather
Sourc: Spaceweather
