Today's Image

Favorite photos of Venus and the Pleiades!

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
April 12, 2015
Venus and the Pleiades setting on April 11, 2015 from Ken Christison in northeastern North Carolina
Venus and the Pleiades setting on April 11, 2015 from Ken Christison in northeastern North Carolina.
The dazzling planet swings closest to the Pleiades star cluster on or near April 11, and then sweeps most directly in between the Pleiades star cluster and the V-shaped Hyades star cluster around April 13.
The dazzling planet will swing closest to the Pleiades star cluster on or near April 11, and then sweep most directly in between the Pleiades star cluster and the V-shaped Hyades star cluster around April 13.
Susan Jensen caught Venus and the Pleiades on April 13 from western Washington.
Susan Jensen caught Venus and the Pleiades on April 13 from western Washington.
Guillaume Doyen caught Venus and the Pleiades, and a glimpse of the International Space Station, on April 13.
Guillaume Doyen caught Venus and the Pleiades, and a glimpse of the International Space Station, on April 13.
John Ashley in Montana caught this photo of Venus and the Pleiades on April 11.
John Ashley in Montana caught this photo of Venus and the Pleiades on April 11.
Venus and the Pleiades (M45) on April 11, 2015 from Anthony Lynch Photography in Dublin, Ireland.
Venus and the Pleiades (M45) on April 11, 2015 from Anthony Lynch Photography in Dublin, Ireland.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Kurt Zeppetello in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Kurt Zeppetello in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Margaret Weber, west of Saline, Michigan.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Margaret Weber, west of Saline, Michigan.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Helio de Carvalho Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Helio de Carvalho Vital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Joe Sabatini in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Venus and the Pleiades on April 11, 2015 from Joe Sabatini in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
Venus and the tiny, dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster as seen from the Atacama Desert in S. America on April 9, 2015, posted to EarthSky Facebook by Yuri Beletsky Nightscapes. Thank you, Yuri!
Venus and the tiny, dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster as seen from Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory in the Atacama desert of S. America on April 9, 2015. The bright star above is Aldebaran, part of the Hyades cluster. Posted to EarthSky Facebook by Yuri Beletsky Nightscapes. Thank you, Yuri!
Venus, the dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster (to the upper right of Venus) and the V-shaped Hyades star cluster (a longer jump to Venus's upper left) as viewed on the evening of April 10 by Facebook friend Danny Crocker-Jensen.
Venus, the dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster (to the upper right of Venus) and the V-shaped Hyades star cluster (a longer jump to Venus’s upper left) as viewed on the evening of April 10 by Facebook friend Danny Crocker-Jensen.
Venus and the dipper-shaped Pleiades cluster captured at dusk on April 10, 2015, from Brunei Darussalam (Borneo) by Facebook friend Hazarry Haa.
Venus and the dipper-shaped Pleiades cluster captured at dusk on April 10, 2015, from Brunei Darussalam (Borneo) by Facebook friend Hazarry Haa.
Robert Kelly wrote,
Robert Kelly wrote, “Bright Venus was in the West and perfectly situated below the Pleiades. Couldn’t resist so I tried to put them next to a really nice palm tree to show it was in the desert.”
Venus and Pleiades on April 9, 2015, courtesy of our Facebook friend, Stephen Rahn.
Venus and Pleiades on April 9, 2015, courtesy of our Facebook friend, Stephen Rahn.
Venus and the Pleiades as viewed from Medias, Romania. on April 9, 2015. Thanks to our Facebook friend, Rolf Winkler!
Venus and the Pleiades as viewed from Medias, Romania. on April 9, 2015. Thanks to our Facebook friend, Rolf Winkler!
Note that Orion's Belt on left points to Venus, the Pleiades and the aurora borealis. Taken on April 9, 2015, from Odessa, Washington by Susan Giles Jensen.
Note that Orion’s Belt on left points to Venus, the Pleiades and the aurora borealis. Taken on April 9, 2015, from Odessa, Washington by Susan Giles Jensen.
Venus and the Pleiades from April 8, 2015 via our friend on Facebook, La Lune The Moon.
Venus and the Pleiades from April 8, 2015 via our friend on Facebook, La Lune The Moon.
Venus and Pleiades on April 7, 2015 from EarthSky Facebook friend Jean-Baptiste Feldmann in France.
Venus and Pleiades on April 7, 2015 from EarthSky Facebook friend Jean-Baptiste Feldmann in France.
View larger. | By the way, keep your eye on the western sky after sunset, too. The bright object here is Venus. See the little dipper-shaped object above Venus? That's the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. And the V-shaped pattern to the left of the Pleiades is the Hyades. By about mid-April, Venus will be between these two prominent star patterns on our sky's dome! Early April 2015 photo via EarthSky Facebook and our friend Eileen Claffey in central Massachusetts. Thanks, Eileen!
View larger. | By the way, keep your eye on the western sky after sunset, too. The bright object here is Venus. See the little dipper-shaped object above Venus? That’s the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. And the V-shaped pattern to the left of the Pleiades is the Hyades. By about mid-April, Venus will be between these two prominent star patterns on our sky’s dome! Early April 2015 photo via EarthSky Facebook and our friend Eileen Claffey in central Massachusetts. Thanks, Eileen!
Posted 
April 12, 2015
 in 
Today's Image

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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