Venus passes between us and the sun every 584 days, or about every 1.6 years. Astronomers call it an “inferior conjunction,” and it happens on March 25, 2017. Over the past months and weeks, Venus has been moving in its smaller, faster orbit – preparing to go between Earth and the sun. Its lighted half, or day side, has been facing increasingly away from us, and so we’ve seen Venus in a crescent phase. After March 25, Venus will enter the morning sky and begin waxing in phase again.
Bottom line: Photos beginning in late 2016 and extending through March 2017, showing Venus telescopically, as it wanes to a thin crescent phase.
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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