On March 13, 2012, brilliant Venus
was accompanied by the second
brightest planet, Jupiter, in the
constellation of Aries. Venus will be
at that same place on March 13,
2020, but without Jupiter.(PHOTO BY ALAN DYER)Venus at its
evening best
Venus rises to its highest altitude
in eight years, while a trio of
planets gathers at dawn
By Alan DyerSpring 2020 is peak season for Venus.
We haven’t seen the “planet of love” this
prominently in our evening sky since 2012.
You can’t miss it, as it outshines any other star
or planet, and swings up so high it won’t set until
1 a.m. local daylight time. This is a rare occasion
when, for a few weeks, Venus becomes not just
an evening, but a midnight star.Meanwhile, all other naked-eye planets are
huddled together in the morning sky. Get up
before dawn to see Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Technically, in late March, Mercury is there
also, but too low to see easily from Canada.Not to worry. We have an opportunity in the
third week of July to see all ive naked-eye
planets above our Canadian horizon at once.SKYNEWS • MAR/APR 2020