…not to be confused with Snow White and the seven dwarfs.
According to a brief from NASA, the second planet from the Sun is passing directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It’s a rare sunset conjunction that’s easy to find with the unaided eye, but best seen through binoculars or a small telescope.
The configuration could be seen last night, April 2, as Venus entered the outskirts of the little dipper-shaped asterism. Although, from my city yard at about 8:00 pm with an overhead Moon nearing full, the Pleiades were a bit faint. Our favorite astro-photographer, Anthony Ayiomamitis, has a luminous photo of the Pleiades, minus Venus, here. He writes of tonight’s event:
Viewing the Pleiades through binoculars is strongly advised since one will see the Seven Sisters in all their glory with very fine points of light from other stars enriching the background sky. Also, binoculars may allow one to also glimpse the partial phase of Venus which is similar to a ‘first quarter’ Moon.
According to NASA, one should “look west at sunset for Venus — it’s the brightest thing around — then scan the area using binoculars. The conjunction will be immediately clear. The best evening to look is Tuesday, April 3, when the brilliant planet glides just south of the dipper’s bowl. Venus exits by the handle on Wednesday, April 4. Venus passes through the Pleiades in this way about once every 8 years.”
The astro-brief continues,
To say this is a mixture of dissimilar things would be an understatement.
The Pleiades are elusive. You rarely find them on purpose. They’re best seen out of the corner of your eye, a pretty little surprise that pops out of the night sky when you’re staring elsewhere.
Venus is just the opposite. Dazzling, bright enough to cast faint shadows, it beams down from the heavens and grabs you when you’re not even looking.
The Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters,” are a cluster of young stars. They formed barely 100 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs on Earth from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas. The biggest and brightest members are blue-white and about five times wider than our own sun.
Because of their distance, about 400 light years away, the Pleiades are near the limit of naked-eye visibility. When Venus joins them in conjunction, it will look like a supernova has gone off inside the cluster. Venus’s thick clouds reflect so much sunlight, the planet outshines every thing in the night sky except the Moon. Strangely, though, the Pleiades do not look puny in comparison, just delicately beautiful.
If you’re curious about trying to photograph the configuration, here is Anthony’s advice:
Photography is a little more delicate. The longer the telephoto one uses, the better the result will be since we are primarily interested in a section of the sky which approximately covers the same area as a Full Moon. However, because of Earth’s rotation, star trailing will become an issue for extended exposures. It is best to fire off a series of exposures using a fixed tripod and as great a focal length lens as possible. For example, if someone has a 75-300mm zoom, their best bet is 300mm but they should keep in mind that longer exposures can and will suffer from trailing.
Also, the use of a high ISO (for ex. 800) is advised so as to make the necessary exposure as short as possible and, thereby, minimize star trailing.
Good luck to you wherever you are, and may you have clear skies tonight and tomorrow night. We’re hoping the skies in Greece clear so Anthony can take one of his stunning shots. Now, to find someone in town with binoculars I can borrow…
btw — i did manage to borrow a pair of binoculars last night to get a better look at this configuration. venus looked like it had just passed out the other side, near the “handle” of the pleiades. unfortunately, venus was so bright (and i’m not sure sure how powerful the binocs were) that i couldn’t really make out that it was at “half” phase. plus, one lens of the binocs seemed to distort everything, so to get a clear, single view, i had to close my right eye. but it was still lovely, even in the midst of the lights of portland.
did anyone else get a good look? anyone take photos?
mystes
I love you.
No offence taken on my part and, hopefully, none taken by anyone else.
Merry Transit!
G.
xxx
I never knew I was driving Pleiades outback!! A note for back yard astrophotographers. If you want to avoid star trailing while maximizing light gathering for dark sky photography, set your shutter to stay open about 25 seconds. That is the maximum before earth’s rotation creates the beginning of a star trail, which will turn your round planet oval.
The maximum I have been able to keep my canon elph open is a 1 sec. exposure. If there is a setting for longer exposure, I haven’t figured it out. I took a photo last night, and I am probably the only one who can see Pleiades hugging Venus. The energy someone asked? HOT!
I have been noticing the increasing proximity of Venus with the seven sisters. So lovely. From our perspective, Venus is the big sister, but from the Pleiades sister’s, it’s beyond opposites. I am enjoying my continued exploration of Jung and the archetypes. Here’s a bit of feminine energy for you:
“In the beginning the Father intended to bring forth
the angels and the archangels.
His thought leaped forth from him, this thought
Who knew Her Father’s intention.
Thus she descended to the lower realms.
She bore angels and powers, who then created
the world.
But after she thus bore them, she was held captive
by them.
She suffered every indignity from them,
and she could not return to the Father.
In a human body she came to be confined,
And thus from age to age she passed from body
to body,
Into one female body after the other…
Thus she became the lost sheep.” Simon Magus from the Gnostic Gospels
“The essential point about everything concerning Simon Magus (and Gnosticism) is the image of the primordial Couple, the image of Desire…exalted as the primary fire of the world and the source of liberation, which is the image of Wisdom, incarnate in the body of Helen, who has fallen from the heights of heaven into the depths of history to teach men that the way to salvation is through union with that reflection of the divine splendour that is the form of woman.” French poet and admirer of the Gnostics, Jacques Lacarriere.
Ok I spoke too soon…suddenly there are amassing gray clouds in the sky. Drat.
Being in a Dark City (Flagstaff is a Dark City because of the observatory) I will be able to see it easily. It is going to be a high-pressure, clear night tonight so I can’t wait! The whole family will be out with me. The night skies here are filled to overflowing with stars. One of the many reasons I love living here. It is positively magical!
Um Geoff, I was referring to *my* stupid joke (‘su Baru’), had absolutely NO intention of calling anyone else anything. Please seek not offense where none was offered.
T’anks.
M
I’d forgotten that about Subaru. Thanks for the reminder. Will make me smile even more when I drive my little Subie. 🙂
Well I never knew that. Thank you, Chief Niwots Son. From now on I shall call them Pleiades and be slightly more pleasantly disposed towards their earth-destroying capacities. The things you don’t know, eh?
More stupid jokes please, Chief. They go with the terminal exhaustion fumes.
Wishing everyone a happy Venus transit. Preparing for the big one on June 5th/6th (DOTZ). [I hereby invent the astro-acronym DOTZ for Depending on Time Zone.]
I wonder what the fruit of this lovely little conjunction will be? Is there a time range for tuning in? Sunset-ish? The binoculars are in a box under a box behind a box, and I am back in Light Pollution Central, so I probably miss the visual. But the vibratory… that’s another story.
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Chief,
Hear-hear. I had a good friend in Mexico who was married to a guy named Baru (Swedish). So of course, I loved asking :: Vayamos andar con su Baru? (Are we taking off in your Baru?)
First sign of terminal exhaustion: Stupid jokes.
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The Japanese word for the Pleiades is “Subaru,” which is why us Pleiadians drive cars whose logo is a star cluster.
Lovely. 🙂