Seeing Venus with the Naked Eye - Light Pollution

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the identification of a bright astronomical object observed in a light-polluted area, with participants speculating that it may be Venus. The conversation includes references to tools and resources for confirming the object's identity and position in the sky.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant observes a bright point of light, suspected to be Venus, which remained in the same position for several weeks.
  • Some participants suggest that it is likely Venus based on its visibility and position relative to the moon.
  • Another participant references a tweet from Brian Cox asserting that the object is Venus.
  • A suggestion is made to use Stellarium, a software tool, to confirm the identity of the object and account for light pollution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the bright object is likely Venus, but there is no definitive confirmation, and some uncertainty remains regarding the observation's consistency over time.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the question of whether the observed object is definitively Venus, as it relies on personal observations and external references without empirical verification.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in amateur astronomy, particularly those observing celestial objects in light-polluted areas, may find the discussion and resources mentioned useful.

Hawksteinman
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I live in a light polluted area, and the last few weeks I have been walking down my street to see one very bright point of light. Other than the moon, it was the only astronomical object I could see with the naked eye, as well as occasionally a few fainter points. I was wondering what this was, so I looked on a website to see where the objects are in the sky from where I live, and Venus was at that exact point.

Was I looking at Venus? I thought it couldn't be since it seemed to stay in exactly the same position in the sky for at least 5 or 6 weeks.
 
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Another cool software you can check to confirm it: Stellarium , its free, open source, and works in windows, mac and linux.

You can set your location, time, adjust light pollution... really useful =)
 
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