This week’s challenge is for very early risers with a good south-eastern horizon. The task is to spot Venus’ return to the sky. Since disappearing from the evening sky towards the end of May, Venus has been travelling in between the sun and the Earth, and has been lost to our sight. This week, however, it begins to emerge from the sun’s glare, and can be seen in the pre-dawn sky.
The chart shows the view looking east from London at 04:00 BST on 19 June. On this morning, Venus will be joined in the dawn sky by an extremely thin waning crescent moon. With just 5% of its surface illuminated, it will be very difficult to spot against the brightening sky.
Viewers in the southern hemisphere stand a better chance because on 19 June, the moon there will have a slightly higher percentage of its surface illuminated and will be higher in the sky. Venus should be unmistakable in the east, close to the Hyades star cluster and the star Aldebaran in Taurus, the Bull.
