Wonderful dual visibility of Venus- A rare phenomenon!

Hello. We know that Venus is known as an evening star or a morning star as it is generally seen in the evening or in the early morning. But both cannot happen simultaneously. Just think, if suppose Venus sets after the Sun, i.e. it is visible in the evening, then in the morning, the Sun would rise before Venus and therefore Venus would not be visible in the dawn. If Venus is in the east of the Sun, then it is visible only in the early morning.

But, in a rare condition, Venus has dual visibility- meaning it is visible in the morning and also evening in the same day! Yes, you read properly! In a rare condition, this happens and it is happening today, on 20th March and 21st March! Its reason is these days, Venus is having inferior solar conjunction, meaning it is almost close to the line connecting the Sun and the Earth. It is crossing the Sun from inner side and so now it is moving towards east side of the Sun. Therefore, it is no longer visible in the evening and after two weeks, it will be visible in the early morning. But, it is showing wonderful dual visibility!

Let’s understand it. Currently, Venus is close to the Sun. It is exactly 7 degrees North from the Sun. That means it is neither in the east or west of the Sun, but in the north! And in geography we learn that Earth has northern regions where the Sun does not go high up in the Sky. In winter months, in fact, the Sun is barely visible from high Northern latitudes. As we go to the polar regions, Sun is visible only for six months and that too near the horizon. Today it is 20th March and it is also vernal equinox. That means today there will be equal day and night.

So if we observe from locations such as 50 degree North (that is roughly latitude of London, Northern Europe, Canada, Northern Russia etc.), then for a brief period of time, Venus will be visible in the morning as well as in the evening. Because, Venus is 7 degree north to the Sun and it means that in regions beyond 50 degree North, it will be up in the sky longer than the Sun, which is 7 degrees South compared to Venus. So in such high northern latitudes, Venus will be up in the twilight and in the dawn. In such regions and in these days the Sun rises in North- East, barely goes around 20 degrees north and then recedes again, much like Canopus or Achernar star in our middle- Asian latitudes! As seen from the screenshot of Stellarium app, Venus is clearly above the horizon in the morning and evening also!

So, your friends in locations having 50 or more degrees North, will be able to see Venus a few minutes before the Sun- rise and a few minutes after the Sun- set also! This is a rare phenomenon, it will happen only in 2033 after this! Reason behind this is slight variation in the orbit of Venus. After 22nd March, Venus will go to east of the Sun and after 10 days, will be only visible in the early morning. And when it passes this phase, it will be much bright. On 16th April, Venus will have maximum brightness and around that time, it can be clearly observed in the daylight also. We just need to remember its position and view exactly in that direction. No need of any telescope! After all, it is the third brightest object in our skies!

(Thanks for reading. You can share with your near ones. Niranjan Welankar 09422108376. Sky watching, meditation, fun learn and fitness sessions. Date of writing the article: 20 March 2025)