Venus has an important appointment on Sunday March 23, passing between us and the Sun.
This is the event called inferior conjunction, as against the superior conjunction beyond the Sun; so the words really mean “nearer” and “farther.” The event is far from inferior in a qualitative sense – it is one of the most superb of inferior conjunctions, because Venus passes about as far north of the Sun as possible.
Unfortunately I cannot, for the next several days, keep an assignation with the goddess or with anybody, including the Muse of the Blog, being in the throes of a move from one place of dwelling to another.
The phenomena of inferior conjunction are fairly thoroughly described in sections of our book Venus: a Longer View called “The swoop between Earth and Sun,” “Hurling the Sun,” and “Seeing Venus close to inferior conjunction.” Here are a few of the illustrations from those pages. The 2025 March 23 event is used as the most prominent example because it is exceptionally favorable, for norther-hemisphere observers.
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I saw crescent Venus in 8×25 image stabilizing binoculars about 10 minutes before sunrise while I was waiting for the partial solar eclipse on March 29th. I tried at conjunction (no optical aid) at local noon and missed it.
Guy, those illustrations are excellent! I hope to see Venus during the day on the 22nd or 23rd. This was the scene here yesterday evening, the 17th (Mercury’s position is circled, it was barely detectable on the original image):
http://www.starvergnuegen.com/astropix/2025/03_march/2025_03_17_venus_b.html
Thank you Guy – your diagram answered (in my mind if I am not sorely mistaken) a question I have been struggling to find a way to ask you. If I wanted to see Venus as both as evening and morning stars on the same date then (& correct me if I am wrong) I need to 1) be as far north as I can get, 2) select an inferior conjunction when Venus is at its highest point north in its orbit, & 3) both of these conditions need to occur at the summer solstice. I read an article many, many years ago that discussed this being done but I can’t recall who, what, when, or where.
I think that would give you the best chance.
Charles, unfortunately the three conditions you describe are impossible, at least in this epoch. The only type of Venus inferior conjunction near Earth’s summer solstice is the June kind, which is one at which Venus passes extremely close to the Sun (in fact in June 2004 and June 2012, it transited the Sun). In our epoch, the early April / late March inferior conjunctions and the mid-January inferior conjunctions occur when Venus passes well north of the Sun. The August and October inferior conjunctions occur when Venus passes well south of the Sun. It is relatively easy to see Venus on the same date after sunset and before sunrise at both the January and March inferior conjunctions. The next one of these will occur in 2030 (the January kind). However, if you live in a place where the weather in October is good (such as where I live here in central Virginia), it’s not too difficult to see Venus during the day on the date of inferior conjunction because the skies are often very clear and transparent. The next one of those will be in 2028. Of course, at those instances of IC, you can’t see Venus after sunset or before sunrise.