Seeing stars: the evening star 

Keith Wilson has had a lifelong interest in the night sky and has written for space and astronomy publications in both the UK and USA. He lives under the dark night skies of the Isle of Gigha.

 

What is that really bright star you can see shining in the west at present? Actually, it’s not a star but the planet of love, Venus.

 

It is far brighter than anything else in the night sky except the moon.

 

In fact, it is so bright that if you are well away from light pollution and with no moonlight, then you can sometimes see shadows cast on the ground by Venus. You can also see it in daylight if you know where to look.

 

If the Kintyre sky is clear between May 22-24 then look out to the west after 10pm and you will see the dazzling Venus close to the moon with the fainter red planet Mars close by.

 

On May 22, a thin crescent moon can be found just to the right of Venus. On May 24, the moon is just above Mars.

 

If you are a photographer then why not try capturing this celestial gathering and send it in to the Courier.

 

Venus is blazing in the western evening sky, but why is it so bright? Venus is relatively nearby to Earth but that isn’t the only reason it is so bright. What makes it so bright is the fact that our neighbouring planet is completely covered in very reflective clouds, so you would have no chance of stargazing from its surface!

 

Unlike our clouds of water, Venus has clouds of acid. Its clouds trap the sun’s heat, making Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System, much hotter even than your oven!

 

Sending someone birthday wishes on Venus would also be rather complicated because a day on Venus is longer than a year. This is because the planet turns much more slowly on its axis than the time it takes to go around the sun.

 

So, that bright object we are seeing is a planet and not a star. But is it possible to tell the difference when you are out stargazing?

 

The easiest way to spot planets is to remember that stars twinkle and planets don’t, unless they are low on the horizon. This happens because stars are much further away from us than planets, so the light from a star is affected much more as it passes through our atmosphere than the light from a much closer planet.

 

Keith Wilson.