Venus has Phases

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

Venus has Phases

Aside from the moon, the planet Venus is the brightest object in the night sky. With the unaided eye, it typically appears as a very bright circle. It appears so bright because it is the closest planet to Earth, and also because its thick clouds reflect most of the sunlight that reaches it.

However, just like the moon, the planet Venus has different phases, caused by the changing of its relative position to the Sun and Earth. A telescope helps one to see its phases.

Here is a photo I took of Venus on May 27, 2023 close to its 50% phase (dichotomy).

 

In its orbit around the sun, Venus can be as close to the earth as approximately 40 million km in distance, and as far away as 260 million km. To add some further context or point of reference, below is another photo I took of Venus (top left) with the crescent Moon on May 22, 2023.

 

 

Dhu'l Qa'dah 1444 A.H.
Irshaad A. Rashid