All eyes are trained on the moon and Jupiter over these next few nights, but – if you’re up early – remember to look east for Venus, too. Venus is even brighter than Jupiter. It’s the brightest planet – brighter than any sky objects besides the sun and moon. throughout April 2017, people have been waking up to find Venus in the east before dawn, even though this planet has only recently shifted over into our predawn sky. To see it, find an unobstructed eastern horizon shortly before the sun comes up. Then … its brightness might surprise you!
Before the month ends, Venus will pair with the moon around April 23. It’ll have another time of greatest brilliancy before the month ends. It’s always an eerie sight at greatest brilliancy; expect UFO reports to increase in late April!
Start watching Venus now before dawn. It’ll reward you with many beautiful beginnings to the day.
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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