Shadow of Venus

With the right conditions, you can actually see shadows as cast by the light of our nearest planetary neighbor.

Few people have ever seen a Venus shadow. But they’re there, elusive and delicate—and, if you appreciate rare things, a thrill to witness.

Dr. Tony Phillips, NASA

Venus is at it’s yearly brightest right now, so there’s never been a better time to see this for yourself. (You have until the 3rd of December, when the crescent moon will appear in the evening sky, drowning out Venus’s glow.) The first link below includes photographs of various shadows and the process of obtaining them in case you’d rather leave it to the professionals:

LINK/IMAGES [“In Search of the Venusian Shadow”] (Pete Lawrence) LINK [“Shadows of Venus”] (Dr. Tony Phillips, NASA)

See also: the ESA’s Venus Express is currently en route and will enter Venusian orbit in April 2006 to deliver, among other things, the most detailed photographs of Venus to date.

LINK/IMAGES/VIDEOS [Venus Express] (ESA)