Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin, March 18 (Reporter Zhou Runjian) Astronomy science experts introduced that on March 20, Venus will usher in a large distance to the west. In the early morning of that day, Venus, which appeared as a "morning star", will shine in the southeast sky. , the interested public can get up early and see with the naked eye how the "brightest star in the night sky" opens the dawn.
Venus is the nearest neighbor of the earth. In ancient my country, it was called "Taibai", that is, Taibaixing.
Under normal circumstances, Venus is the brightest celestial body in the whole sky except the sun and moon, and it can reach a magnitude of -4.9 at its maximum brightness.
Song Yuanyuan, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an astronomical science expert at the Tianjin Science and Technology Museum, introduced that Venus and Mercury are both inner planets, and Venus is farther away from the sun, so it will be easier to observe.
When the distance angle between the inner planet and the sun is the largest, it is called "large distance", and is divided into "east distance" and "west distance".
When the inner planet is at a large east distance, it is located to the east of the sun, and we can see it in the low sky in the west in the evening. From the earth, it is the farthest from the sun at this time, and it is called "evening star" (Venus is also known as "evening star". Chang Gung Star"); when the inner planet is at a large west distance, it is located to the west of the sun, and we can see it in the low sky in the east at dawn, when viewed from the earth, it is the farthest from the sun at this time, and is called the "morning star" ( Venus is also known as the "Morning Star").
"This time on the 20th, the distance between Venus and the sun is about 47 degrees, and the observation conditions are very good. The interested public can see an unusually bright hanging in the southeast sky just by looking up a little. The little dots are the Venus." Song Yuanyuan said.
So, are the inner planets the easiest time to observe the inner planets at large elongations?
"It's not entirely accurate. For the inner planets, whether they are good for observation or not depends mainly on their altitude and brightness. In the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the large elongations of the inner planets and the date of maximum altitude usually do not coincide. With Venus as the For example, February 15 this year is the time when Venus has the highest altitude at sunrise, and February 13 is the brightest time of Venus (-4.9 magnitude) in the whole year. In this large west distance, the altitude of Venus at sunrise is about It is 21 degrees, a little lower than last month, and its brightness is -4.6 magnitude, which is also dimmer than last month. Of course, for the bright Venus, this slight change will not affect our viewing of it." Song Yuanyuan said.
In 2021, Venus will continue to "serve" as the "Chang Gung Star" for more than half a year, shining in the western sky after sunset; in 2022, Venus will become a "Morning Star", shining in the southeastern sky before dawn Shenghui.
Song Yuanyuan reminded that from now until mid-October this year, Venus will stage its splendor in the southeast before sunrise. During this time, it will meet with celestial bodies such as Mars, Saturn, and the moon, and stage a "star attraction" or "star attraction". Star and Moon Fairy Tale".