A wonderful encounter between the stars and the moon at the turn of spring and summer! Taibai and Chang'e will be together in the evening of the 23rd, and can be observed from all over the northern hemisphere

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In the early morning before sunrise, there is always a very bright star that emits dazzling light like a diamond and is extremely eye-catching. It is Venus.

According to media reports, on the evening of April 23 this year, the night sky will present a beautiful astronomical phenomenon of Venus accompanying the moon. The dazzling Venus and the crescent moon can be seen in China and even all over the northern hemisphere, performing a romantic fairy tale of stars and moon in the western sky.

When is the best time to observe this astronomical phenomenon?

In recent days, the two are the brightest celestial bodies in the night sky, and the public can appreciate them with the naked eye under good weather conditions.

The specific trajectory changes of the two are as follows:

At 20:00 on April 22, the moon was west of Venus;

At 21:00 on the 23rd, the moon will catch up with Venus, and the two will be on the same meridian, which is called "Venus-Moon conjunction"; at this time, the two will be in Taurus, with Venus to the south of the moon, and the crescent moon will appear to be "the new moon embracing the old moon", and the two will be very close to each other;

At 20:00 on the 24th, the moon was east of Venus. If the public takes photos for three consecutive days, with the help of the position of Venus, they can know the apparent path (white path) of the moon. On average, the moon moves from west to east about 13 degrees every day, which is about the distance of 26 apparent moon diameters.

Astronomical experts remind the public that those who want to see this romantic celestial phenomenon must hurry up and watch it. Observations can be started about 20 minutes after sunset. At the same time, this is also a good time to take photos. Photography enthusiasts may want to go outdoors and try their hand.

5 hot things to know about Venus

Venus is the closest and brightest planet to the Earth, and the brightest celestial body besides the Sun and the Moon. Venus is one of the eight planets in the solar system, 108.2 million kilometers from the Sun. In order of distance from the Sun, it ranks second and is adjacent to the Earth.

Venus has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, a surface temperature of nearly 500 degrees Celsius, and no liquid water.

The atmospheric pressure on Venus is about 90 times that of the Earth, and it is severely lacking in oxygen. Therefore, the possibility of life on Venus is extremely small.

Venus, like the Moon, also has periodic changes in waxing and waning, but because Venus is too far from the Earth, it cannot be seen with the naked eye and requires the use of a telescope to observe. Since Venus always appears near the Sun, its phase has become a target for most astronomy and photography enthusiasts.

The phases of Venus are very special. After Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation, it will become brighter and brighter. In most cases, the brightest moment of Venus often occurs about one month after its greatest eastern elongation and before its greatest western elongation. This is a major feature of the phases of Venus. At its greatest elongation, the apparent magnitude of Venus is about -4.5, and it can reach -4.8 at its brightest, or even brighter. If observed in an area around 40° north latitude, the altitude of Venus above the horizon at sunset today will reach 38°. Later, the altitude of Venus will decrease, but it will appear brighter. Experts from the Beijing Planetarium have shared their experience in observing Venus, and you can pay attention to the changes in the shape of Venus: "At its greatest eastern elongation, Venus is farthest from the sun, and it is a 'first quarter moon' at this time. After that, Venus slowly approaches the sun, and the closer it gets to the sun, the bigger the 'size' of Venus becomes, and the thinner the 'crescent' becomes."

Venus is a "traffic star" in both China and the West.

Because of its high brightness, Venus is often observed. Whether in ancient Chinese mythology or in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Venus is a very eye-catching existence.

In ancient my country, Venus that appears in the morning is called the "Morning Star", and Venus that appears in the evening is called the "Evergreen Star".

Because of the beautiful and lovely light of Venus, the West calls it the goddess of love "Venus". The Latin words "Venus" and "Friday" all come from her. Venus is also the Roman name for Venus, which means "beautiful painting". In Greek mythology, it is called Aphrodite, which means "rising foam", because it is said that it was born in the foam that emerged from the sea.

Comprehensive sources: China News Network, Science Popularization China