Astronomy Page

February 11, 2022 7:42 pm

WATCHING VENUS RISE OVER GUAM — Saturday, February 12, 2022 Hello my friends! Well, it is now 5:07 AM Saturday, Guam time. I just finished my stairs exercise a short while ago. Before that, I set up... View MoreWATCHING VENUS RISE OVER GUAM — Saturday, February 12, 2022 Hello my friends! Well, it is now 5:07 AM Saturday, Guam time. I just finished my stairs exercise a short while ago. Before that, I set up my Android phone — a Moto G8 Power — to see if it will record a better video of Venus rising above the eastern horizon than my iPhone Xs Max. The Moto G8 Power only cost me a little more than $200, but I’ll tell you, it is doing a better job of recording this event than my $1,250 iPhone Xs Max. One reason for that is the fact that the Moto G8 Power is a few years newer than my iPhone. Thus, it has better cameras. But that is not all. The first two nights I did this — Feb. 10 & 11 — there was a lot of atmospheric haze and more passing clouds in the sky. Tonight the situation is a lot better. As a result, I was able to spot Venus about 30-45 minutes earlier than the previous two nights, as well as much lower in the sky. That, of course, means that I can record it for a little longer period as well. Let me tell you, it is a sight to behold! As usual, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky. However, as I mentioned in my previous posts, tonight — Feb. 12th — is a very special night, because Venus is at its closest point in its elliptical orbit to the Earth. In fact, it is about 3 million miles closer, which increases its magnitude a little bit. As I did the previous two nights, I will be recording this new video until the Sun rises, and eventually blots out Venus due to its brilliance. It is now 5:27 AM, so that will occur in about another hour and a half. Right now, Venus is about 45 degrees up from the horizon, and shining very brightly. On my Android, it is slowly rising, and moving from the lower left area of the screen, towards the upper right. Once I am done recording the video, I will take it into the house, speed it up, remove the current audio track of roosters crowing and such, and add some nice background music to it. Once all of that is done, I will upload it to my “Science & Technology” playlist on my YouTube channel. Of course, I will then share the link here. I hope that some of you will also go outside at 4:04 AM on the 12th to observe this natural wonder of God’s Creation. As King David was inspired to write: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork.” Psalm 19:1, KJV That’s all for now!

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Astronomy Page updated their cover photo.

February 11, 2022 5:49 am

Be the first person to like this.

Astronomy Page updated their profile photo.

February 11, 2022 5:19 am

Be the first person to like this.