Mercury, Venus and how to observe them. How to find planets in the sky Is Venus visible from earth to the naked eye

Venus comes closer to Earth than any other planet. But the dense, cloudy atmosphere makes it impossible to directly see its surface. Radar images show a very wide variety of craters, volcanoes and mountains.
The surface temperature is high enough to melt lead, and this planet may have once had vast oceans.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, having an almost circular orbit, which it goes around in 225 Earth days at a distance of 108 million km from the Sun. Venus rotates around the axis in 243 Earth days - the maximum time among all planets. Venus rotates around its axis reverse side, that is, in the direction opposite to the orbital motion. Such a slow, and, moreover, reverse rotation means that, when viewed from Venus, the Sun rises and sets only twice a year, since the Venusian days are equal to ours 117. Venus approaches the Earth at a distance of 45 million km - closer than any other planet.

In size, Venus is only slightly less earth, and its mass is almost the same. For these reasons, Venus is sometimes referred to as the twin or sister of the Earth. However, the surface and atmosphere of these two planets are completely different. There are rivers, lakes, oceans and an atmosphere on Earth that we breathe. Venus is a scorchingly hot planet with a dense atmosphere that would be fatal to humans.

Before the beginning space age astronomers knew very little about Venus. Dense clouds prevented them from seeing the entire surface through telescopes. Spacecraft managed to pass through the atmosphere of Venus, which consists mainly of carbon dioxide with admixtures of nitrogen and oxygen. The pale yellow clouds in the atmosphere contain droplets of sulfuric acid, which fall on the surface with acid rain.

Finding Venus in the sky is easier than any other planet. Its dense clouds reflect sunlight beautifully, making the planet bright. Since Venus's orbit is closer to the Sun than Earth's, Venus is never far away from the Sun in our sky. Every seven months for several weeks, Venus is the brightest object in the western sky in the evenings. It is called the "evening star". During these periods, Venus's sharp brilliance is 20 times that of Sirius, the brightest star in the northern sky. Three and a half months later, Venus rises three hours earlier than the Sun, becoming the brilliant "morning star" of the eastern sky.

You can observe Venus about an hour after sunset or an hour before sunrise. The angle between Venus and the Sun never exceeds 47 °. For two to three weeks near these points, Venus cannot be undetected, if only the sky is clear. If you first see Venus in the predawn sky during the period of the greatest western elongation, then you will be able to distinguish it and later, even after sunrise, it is so bright. If you use binoculars or a telescope, take the necessary precautions so that the sun does not accidentally enter your field of vision.

It is easy to see that Venus, like Lupe, has phases. At the points of greatest elongation, the planet looks like a tiny moon in the half-disk phase. As Venus approaches the Earth, its apparent size increases slightly every day, and its shape gradually changes to a narrow crescent. But no features of the planet's surface can be discerned due to the dense cloud cover.

The passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun

It rarely happens that Venus passes exactly between the Earth and the Sun. These passages were used in the 18th century. to determine the size of the solar system. Noting the difference in time between the beginning and the end of the passage when observing from different points of the Earth, astronomers estimated the distance between the Earth and Venus. Captain Cook's third journey in search of discovery (1776-1779) involved observing the passage. Venus will next cross the solar disk in 2004.

Phases of Venus

Galileo was the first to observe the phases of Venus in 1610. From the similarity with the phases of the Moon, he concluded that the orbit of Venus is closer to the Sun than the orbit of the Earth. His observations of Venus proved that the Sun is at the center of our solar system. Observing the phases of Venus every few days approximately during the month, you can calculate whether this planet is approaching us or moving away from us.

Hot world

Venus's atmosphere is extremely hot and dry. The surface temperature reaches its maximum at about 480 ° C. The atmosphere of Venus contains 105 times more gas than the atmosphere of the Earth. The pressure of this atmosphere at the surface is very high, 95 times higher than on Earth. Spaceships have to be designed to withstand the crushing, crushing force of the atmosphere. In 1970, the first spacecraft to arrive on Venus was able to withstand the terrible heat for only about one hour, which was just enough to send data on the conditions on the surface to Earth. Russian aircrafts who landed on Venus in 1982, sent color photographs of sharp rocks to Earth.

Thanks to the greenhouse effect, Venus is in a terrible heat. The atmosphere, which is a thick blanket of carbon dioxide, traps the heat from the sun. As a result, such an amount of thermal energy accumulates that the temperature of the atmosphere is much higher than in the oven.

On Earth, where the amount of carbon dioxide and the atmosphere is small, the natural greenhouse affect raises the global temperature by 30 "C. And on Venus, the greenhouse effect raises the temperature by another 400". Studying the physical consequences of the strongest greenhouse effect on Venus, we can imagine the results that can lead to the accumulation of excess heat on the Earth, caused by the growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels - coal and oil.

Venus and the Earth in ancient times

4.5 billion years ago, when the Earth first formed, it also had a very dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide - just like Venus. This gas, however, dissolves in water. The Earth was not as hot as Venus because it is farther from the Sun; as a result, the rains washed carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sent it to the oceans. From the shells and bones of marine animals, rocks such as chalk and limestone, which include carbon and oxygen, arose. In addition, carbon dioxide was extracted from the atmosphere of our planet and during the formation of coal and oil. There are not very many pods in the atmosphere of Venus. And due to the greenhouse effect, the temperature of the atmosphere exceeds the boiling point of water up to an altitude of about 50 km. Perhaps, once in the past, there were oceans on Venus, but if there were, they have long since boiled away.

Surface of Venus

Astronomers use both interplanetary ships and radio waves to study the nature of the surface of Venus under a thick layer of clouds. More than 20 American and Russian spacecraft have already headed to Venus - more than to any other planet. First Russian ship was crushed by the atmosphere. However, in the late 1970s - early 1980s. the first photographs were obtained, on which formations from hard rocks are visible - sharp, sloping, crumbling, small crumbs and dust. - chemical composition which was similar to the volcanic rocks of the Earth.

In 1961, scientists sent radio waves to Venus and received a reflected signal on Earth, measuring the speed of rotation of the planet around its axis. In 1983, they entered orbit around Venus spaceships Veiera-15 and Venera-16.

Using radar, they mapped the planet's northern hemisphere to 30 "parallel. detailed maps the entire surface with parts up to 120 m in size were obtained in 1990 by the Magellan spacecraft. With the help of computers, radar information has been turned into photographic images of volcanoes, mountains and other landscape details.

Impact craters

Magellan has transmitted beautiful images of the huge Venusian craters to Earth. They arose as a result of the impacts of giant meteorites that burst into the atmosphere of Venus on its surface. Such collisions released the liquid lava trapped within the planet. Some meteorites exploded in the lower atmosphere, creating shock waves that formed dark circular craters. Meteorites passing through the atmosphere travel at a speed of about 60,000 km / h. When such a meteorite hits the surface, the solid rock instantly turns into hot steam, leaving a crater in the ground. Sometimes lava after such a blow finds its way up and flows out of the crater.

Volcanoes and lava

The surface of Vspori is covered with hundreds of thousands of volcanoes. There are several very, large: 3 km high and 500 km wide. But most of the volcanoes are 2-3 km in diameter and about 100 m in height. The outpouring of lava on Venus takes much longer than on Earth. Venus is too hot for ice, rain or storms, so there is no significant weathering (weathering) there. This means that volcanoes and craters have hardly changed since their holes were formed millions of years ago. In photographs of Venus taken from the Magellan, we saw through such an ancient landscape that you will not see on Earth - and yet it is younger than on many other planets and magnifying glasses.

Apparently Venus is covered in hard rocks. Under them, hot lava circulates, causing tension in the slushy surface layer. Lava is constantly erupting from holes and fractures in hard rock. In addition, volcanoes always emit jets of small droplets of sulfuric acid. In some places, thick lava, gradually oozing out, accumulates in the form of huge puddles up to 25 km wide. Elsewhere, paws form huge bubbles on the surface of the dome, which then fall off.

On Earth, it is not easy for geologists to find out the historian) of our planet, since the mountains and valleys are constantly eroded by the influence of wind and rain. Venus is of great interest to scientists for the reason that its surface is similar to ancient fossil strata. The details of its landscape discovered by "Magellan" are hundreds of millions of years old.

Volcanoes and lava flows are preserved in an unchanging saw on this dry planet, the world of which is closest to ours.

The visibility and location of the planets in the sky during the month.

June, the "lightest" month, is not very favorable to astronomical observations. If in the south the nights are simply short, then in temperate latitudes the period of white nights begins altogether. Bright planets, the Sun and the Moon remain almost the only available objects for observation.

All four bright planets can be seen in the June sky this year. Jupiter is visible in the first half of the month in the evenings in the west, beautiful Venus throughout June in the mornings in the east. In the evenings in the south and southwest, Mars and Saturn can be observed. These two planets are the most convenient for observations in June.

But we will start our review with Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun.

Mercury

Mercury minutes before it is covered by the Moon in the daytime sky of Sochi on June 26, 2014.

At the beginning of June, the period of evening visibility of Mercury ends. The planet closest to the Sun could be observed in the early days of the month low in the northwest for about half an hour after sunset, and only in the south, outside the zone of white nights. Almost all of June, Mercury is in the sky near our daytime star and is therefore inaccessible for observations. On June 19, the planet enters into a lower conjunction with the Sun, that is, it will pass between the Earth and the Sun, after which it moves to the morning sky.

On June 26, Mercury, being in the sky only 10 ° from the Sun, will be covered by the Moon. This interesting phenomenon will be observed in the Atlantic, America and Europe, in particular, in the Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Coverage will begin around 5 pm when the Moon and Sun are in the western sky.

The brightness of Mercury will be about 2.5m, which, in principle, allows you to see the planet at blue background sky in a good amateur telescope. However, be extremely careful! Do not forget that the coating will occur near the Sun and the rays of the star can accidentally hit the eyepiece and damage your eyesight! We would recommend observing this phenomenon only to experienced amateurs. For our part, we will try to publish interesting photos coverage, if any, appear on the Internet.

Venus

Haven't seen Venus this summer yet? In early June, the Morning Star rises about an hour before sunrise over the eastern (more precisely, over the northeastern-eastern) part of the horizon.

However, the period of visibility of Venus is rather arbitrary: in Ukraine, in the Crimea and in the Caucasus, the planet is currently visible for almost 1.5 hours, appearing in a dark sky. At the latitude of Moscow, the period of visibility of Venus does not even reach an hour. Farther north, in view of the white nights - and even less. In this case, the planet rises against the background of dawn. But you can still find it in St. Petersburg because of the great brightness of the planet (during June it stays at about -4m). Note that at sunrise, Venus, which is actually white, can be red, orange, and deep yellow, confusing a beginner. In this case, we are faced with a typical reddening of space objects near the horizon due to dust floating in the Earth's atmosphere.

What will happen in the sky with Venus within a month? I must say that throughout June the planet has a direct motion (that is, it moves against the background of stars in the same direction with the Sun, from west to east), moving along the constellation Aries. Venus is gradually catching up with the star in the sky, but in June the distance decreases slightly - from 37 to 30 degrees. At the same time, the position of the planet's rising point shifts slightly to the north.

30 degrees from the Sun is a very comfortable distance for observing such a bright planet in the predawn sky. However, in temperate latitudes and in the north, white nights intervene, which makes it somewhat difficult to observe. But even in this case, as we said above, Venus can be quite easily seen with the naked eye, not to mention observations through a telescope or binoculars. Before the sun rises, the planet manages to rise into the sky at the latitude of Moscow by about 10 °, at the latitude of Sochi - 15 ° above the horizon.

Perhaps it is after sunrise that the June observations of Venus through a telescope will be most interesting and productive. Already in the morning, the planet rises high enough above the horizon so that atmospheric turbulence does not greatly distort the picture in the eyepiece, and the low contrast between the blinding white Venus and the blue sky background often allows you to notice much more detail in the planet's cloud cover than usual.

During June, the apparent dimensions decrease from 14 to 12 arc seconds, and the phase increases from 0.77 to 0.86. (The planet, following a smaller orbit, overtook the Earth and is now moving away from it, and after a few months it will hide behind the Sun.)

Venus and the Moon in the morning sky on June 24. The dimensions of the Moon are magnified 4 times for clarity.

I must say that during the day it is quite possible to see Venus with the naked eye. To do this, it is enough to isolate oneself from the bright Sun and consider a section of the sky 30 ° to the right of the star. In the first half of the day, Venus will be slightly higher than the Sun, in the second, respectively, lower. Finally, on June 24, an excellent reference point for searching for Venus both before sunrise and in the daytime sky will be the “aging” Moon, whose narrow crescent will approach the planet up to 3.5 °.

Mars

2 months have passed since the April opposition of Mars. The brightness and apparent size of the Red Planet have significantly decreased and continue to decrease rapidly. However, in June, Mars remains one of the most visible celestial bodies in the evening and at night.

All month the planet is in the constellation Virgo, moving against the background of stars in the same direction with the Sun and gradually approaching Spica, the main star of the constellation Virgo. Mars appears in the evening twilight in the southwest at 25 ° above the horizon (at the latitude of Moscow). The planet can be distinguished from stars by its characteristic pinkish color and even radiance (stars, as a rule, flicker noticeably).

At the beginning of June, the visibility of Mars is about 4 hours, at the end - already only 2 hours. The planet's brightness decreases from -0.5m to 0.0m, the diameter of the visible disk - from 11.9 ″ to 9.5 ″. In a good amateur telescope with a lens of 120 mm and above, many interesting details can be found on the planet's disk - polar caps, dark and light areas, areas with various shades of yellow, red and even blue. And in modern digital photographs, the Mysterious Planet appears very effectively today.

Planet Mars, photographed on May 7, 2014. The image clearly shows the northern polar cap, dark areas of the Chryse area and bright cirrus clouds.

Jupiter

Saturn, Moon, Mars and Jupiter on the evening of June 8th. Jupiter in the evenings in the first half of June is visible in the rays of the evening dawn low in the northwest.

Shining in our sky for almost a year, Jupiter ends the period of evening visibility in June. The planet moves in the same direction with the Sun, but being farther from us than the daylight, it moves slower than the Sun against the background of stars. At the end of July, the Sun will catch up with Jupiter and the planet will again, like last year, move to the evening sky, where on August 18 a remarkable rapprochement with Venus will take place.

In the first half of June, Jupiter can be observed for about 2 hours in the evening twilight in the northwest (90 ° to the right of Mars); at the end of the month, the planet is actually hiding in the rays of the sun.

Despite the fact that Jupiter is currently located near the point of its orbit farthest from the Earth, the planet is so large that its brightness and size have not decreased too much compared to the winter period. In June, Jupiter's brightness is in the region of -1.9m, and the diameter of the visible disk is about 32 ″. The planet is still perfectly visible even with small telescopes; her observations will be in much to a greater extent interfere with a low position above the horizon and a bright background of the sky in temperate latitudes than distance from the Earth.

Saturn

The Moon and Saturn approach at midnight on June 11, 2014. Note that Saturn, Mars and bright Star Arcturus is formed in June in the sky almost isosceles triangle.

The position of Saturn in the sky makes this planet the most convenient to observe in June 2014. Being in the constellation Libra for the whole month, the ringed giant appears with the onset of dusk in the south at an altitude of 15-20 degrees above the horizon, depending on the latitude of observation. In the south of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the visibility of Saturn will be about 6 hours, in temperate latitudes the planet will be visible throughout the entire short night.

In terms of brightness (0.4m), Saturn is comparable to the most bright stars, however, this may not be enough for a beginner to confidently identify the planet in the bright night sky of June. Especially for beginner astronomy lovers, we will inform you that in the evening Saturn can be found 30 ° (about 3-4 fists of an outstretched hand) east of the reddish and brighter Mars. When searching, it is important not to confuse Mars with the star Arcturus, which is also reddish and has approximately the same brightness as Mars. In general, Mars, Arcturus and Saturn form an isosceles triangle in the June sky, at the base of which there are two planets. The easiest way to find the planet will be on the night of June 10-11. At this time, next to Saturn (only 1.5 ° south of the planet), the Moon will be in a phase close to the full moon.

Saturn's color is yellow. Even in a small telescope, one can see the disk of the planet flattened to the poles and the luxurious rings of the planet, open at 20 °. The apparent dimensions of the planet are 18 ″, and the rings are 40 × 15 ″. In a telescope with a lens of 100 mm or more, you can try to see the Cassini Slit in the rings of the planet. Even in smaller instruments, you can see the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, in the form of an asterisk 8.4m.

Uranus and Neptune

The last planets in our review are Uranus and Neptune. The distant giants are too weak to be observed with the naked eye (only Uranus in moments of opposition can be seen at the limit of visibility on a moonless night). And in most amateur telescopes, they look at best like tiny greenish-blue discs without any details.

Now both Uranus and Neptune are in the morning sky in the constellations of Pisces and Aquarius, respectively. The visibility of Uranus is about 1 hour in June at the beginning of the month and rises to 2 hours at the end. The brightness of the planet is 6.0m, the apparent size of the planet is 3.4 ″; to see the disc, you need a telescope with a lens of at least 80 mm and a magnification of 80 × or higher. Note that it is almost impossible to observe the planet north of Moscow due to the white nights.

To an even greater extent, the latter also applies to Neptune, which, although it rises almost an hour earlier than Uranus, has a magnitude of only 8m. Like Uranus, Neptune moves across the sky in the same direction as the Sun. It can be found near the sigma star Aquarius (magnitude 4.8m). To see the planet's disk, you need a more serious instrument: a telescope with a 100-120 mm objective lens and a magnification of over 100 ×.

Let us repeat that the search and observation of these planets, due to their remoteness from the Earth, have, at best, only cognitive value for amateurs.

Let's summarize. In June, all the planets are visible in the sky, except for Mercury, which on the 19th is in the lower conjunction with the Sun. The most favorable conditions will develop for observing Saturn and Mars. These two planets appear in the sky at evening twilight in the south and southwest, respectively. The planets are located at an altitude of about 20 ° above the horizon and are visible for 6 and 4 hours, respectively. In temperate latitudes, Saturn can be observed throughout the short night.

Venus is visible in the morning in the east for about an hour before sunrise. The brilliance of the planet makes it possible to observe it during the day, both with a telescope and with the naked eye. Jupiter can still be found in the evenings in the northwest, in the rays of the evening dawn. Its visibility is rapidly decreasing, and at the end of the month the planet will hide in the rays of the Sun.

Mercury is called "elusive" because it is difficult to observe. This planet, closest to the Sun, often hides in its rays, and in our sky does not move far from the Sun - at most 28 degrees, since the orbit of Mercury is located inside the Earth. Mercury is always in the sky, either in the same constellation as the Sun, or in a neighboring one. Mercury is usually seen against the background of dawn and is difficult to find in a bright sky. The most favorable time for observing Mercury comes during the period when it is as far away from the Sun as possible in the sky.

Austria On the same days - on the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Capricorn - Mercury is visible next to Venus - it is also bright (comparable in brightness to the brightest stars in the sky), but the evening dawn may turn out to be brighter than it and it will most likely be possible to find Mercury only through binoculars - find Venus with your eye, point your binoculars at it and Mercury will be in the same field of view. This is a rather rare event and must be seen. The convergence of Venus with Mercury will last until mid-January 2015.

USA The angular distance of a planet from the Sun is called elongation. If the planet is far from the Sun to the east, this is the eastern elongation, if to the west, it is the western one. In eastern elongation, Mercury is visible in the west, low above the horizon in the rays of evening dawn, shortly after sunset, and sets some time after it. In western elongation, Mercury is visible in the morning in the east against the background of dawn, shortly before sunrise. This couple is also visible from the territory of Russia. Astronomers write. that they should be visible within an hour and they set at about seven in the evening on January 15, Mercury will be in the greatest eastern elongation, moving away from the Sun by 19 degrees. And the days coming to this date are the most favorable for observing it. After sunset, Mercury will be above the horizon for almost two hours. As a bright star, it will be visible in the southwest in the constellation Capricorn, low above the horizon. Venus can easily help you find it. This brightest planet, attracting attention with its brilliance, shines in the evenings over the western horizon. The bright star to the right of it is Mercury.

Japan After January 16, 2015, the paths of Venus and Mercury in the sky will diverge. Mercury will begin to return to the Sun, describing a loop in the celestial sphere, and Venus will continue to move away from the daylight and the duration of its visibility will increase every day.

>> How to find Venus in the night sky

How to find Venus in the starry sky- description for an observer from planet Earth. Learn in the photo how to use Jupiter, Moon, Mercury, the constellation Gemini.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, so there are no problems with how to find Venus in the starry sky. Use our online star map or carefully study the lower diagrams, where the constellations, planets and auxiliary stars are indicated.

In order not to make a mistake with the place, you can use special applications for phones. Or, let's follow the ancient astronomers and use natural clues.

To find Venus, start at the ecliptic. When you follow the passage of the Sun across the sky, then this line is called the ecliptic. Depending on the season, this route changes: it rises and falls. The maximum is observed during the summer solstice, and the minimum falls on the winter solstice.

Many celestial bodies are easiest to find by lengthening. These are the points where the planets are set closer to the Sun in relation to us. There are two varieties: the eastern one is located in the evening sky and the western one is located in the morning sky. Naturally, all this concerns only the perspective of the terrestrial observer. Admire what Venus looks like through a non-professional telescope.

Because of our turnover, the movement of bodies covers 15 degrees per hour. Venus becomes visible only when it approaches 5 degrees to the Sun, so you will not see it 20 minutes after the appearance of the Sun or before it disappears. The planet is located between 45-47 degrees from the star and moves 3 hours and 8 minutes after / in front of the Sun.

If you want to see something other than the bright spot, you need to buy a telescope. In addition, you will need a planetary filter or an off-axis mask. It is good if the mechanism is endowed with an automatic tracking system.

Venus is the second planet of the solar system and the closest neighbor of the Earth. The distance between Venus and our planet is "only" 108 million million kilometers. Therefore, scientists consider Venus as one of the possible places for settlement. But the day on Venus lasts like an earthly year, and the sun rises in the west. The strangeness of our amazing neighbor will be discussed in this review.

1. The day is equal to the year

A day on Venus is longer than a year. To be more precise, the planet rotates around its axis so slowly that a day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days, and a year - 224.7 Earth days.

2. Visible without a telescope

There are 5 planets that can be seen with the naked eye, not with a telescope. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

3. Size and orbit

Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is most similar to Earth. Some call it the twin of the Earth, since both planets have approximately the same size and orbit.

4. Floating cities

Recently, scientists have argued that cities that float above the clouds of Venus could be the best choice for the potential colonization of another planet. Although Hell reigns on the surface of Venus, conditions at an altitude of hundreds of kilometers (temperature, pressure and gravity) are almost ideal for humans.

In 1970, a Soviet interplanetary space probe landed on Venus. It became the first spacecraft to land on another planet, as well as the first to transmit data from there back to Earth. True, it did not last long (only 23 minutes) due to the extremely aggressive situation on the planet.

6. Surface temperature

As you know, the temperature on the surface of Venus is such that nothing living can survive there. And also there is metal snow here.

7. Atmosphere and voice

8. Surface gravity of planets

The surface gravities of Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are approximately the same. On average, they make up 15% of Earth's gravity.

9. Volcanoes of Venus

Venus has more volcanoes than any other planet in Solar system... To be more precise, there are more than 1,600 of them, and most of them are in operation.

10. Atmospheric pressure

Needless to say, the pressure of the atmosphere on the surface of Venus is also, to put it mildly, unfriendly to people. To be more precise, it is about 90 times higher than the pressure at sea level on Earth.

11. Surface temperature

Hell reigns on the surface of Venus. The temperature here can reach 470 degrees Celsius. Not surprisingly, the Venera 7 probe did not last long.

12. Hurricanes of Venus

Winds on Venus do not lag behind the temperature in extreme. For example, hurricanes with wind speeds up to 725 km / h are not uncommon in the middle layer of clouds.

13. Sunrise in the West

No man-made object has survived on Venus for more than 127 minutes. That is how long the Venera-13 probe lasted.

Scientists today are actively developing space theme... And recently we talked about.