Venus Occultation

[Graeme]

There was an occultation of Venus by the Moon as seen from Europe this morning. I managed to see it through my binoculars and I wrote a report for another place. Here it is if you fancy:

As mentioned in Mark's Moon and Venus thread yesterday, there was an occultation of Venus by the Moon this morning visible from Europe. As the Moon is in a thin crescent 26 day old phase Venus would disappear on the lit side and re-appear from the unlit side.

I checked out the occultation times in Stellerium, 09:45 to 10:45. So in the morning I checked the sky a few times and was disappointed to see cloud cover. Then at about 10:15 The Sun started shining in the garden. Game on! Eurus had smiled on me and blown the clouds away from the East! I had missed the beginning of the occultation but it looked like I was going to get a look at the re-appearance. I put my chair just outside the back door so as to use the house to protect against an inadvertent glimpse of the Sun and got my 11 x 70s out.

The thin crescent looked flat in the day time sky. The outside edge of the Crescent was about 4/5th of half of the circumference if that makes sense! And the unlit portion was almost indistinguishable from the blue background sky. I sat and looked admiring the view and tried to picture where the planet would re-appear from my Stellerium research this morning. I couldn't believe how much crap there is in my eyes, highlighted by the bright daytime binocular view!

I was beginning to wish that I had left it a few minutes later to start looking as my poor old arms and neck started to ache under the strain! But I certainly didn't want to miss the event so I carried on with only a couple of quick few seconds rests. A few light clouds drifted across and I lost sight of the Moon one time but soon found it again. Then after they cleared, as I looked, Venus blinked into view like a supernova going off! Brilliant! Then over the next minute it brightened until it became a pin prick naked eye visible point of light. I watched for a while.

An excellent event to behold. Did anyone else see it?

Graeme

[stuck]

We had clear skies here this morning so had I known of this event I could have dug out some binoculars and tried to see it. Too late now though.

Ken

[Graeme]

We had clear skies here this morning so had I known of this event I could have dug out some binoculars and tried to see it. Too late now though.

Ken

Some you win......

[Graeme]

This weekend is the peak of the North Taurids Meteor Shower.

https://www.spacecentre.co.uk/news/spac ... ower-2023/

Graeme