In search of the goddess

"She's gone ... I better learn how to face it ... " Hall & Oates, 1973.

It's no secret. I'd been seeing her for months, pretty much nightly right after sunset. Some of you may have watched me standing  affixed, staring in her direction, hypnotized by her stunning appearance.

This relationship started late last summer and carried throughout the winter. I'd spent many evenings mesmerized by her beauty. She's so bright, eye-catching -- and frankly, she's hot.

The blazing goddess on her celestial throne after sunset.

Alas, the goddess has left me! She’s no longer showing up for our meetings at dusk. But now, I know just where to find her.

Venus had been blazing nightly in the western sky at dusk since about August. The planet is so brilliant, sometimes showing a cream color, so it's nearly impossible to miss. Venus, in fact, normally is the brightest natural object in our sky after the Sun and Moon.

The second planet in our solar system, Venus is slightly smaller than Earth, and it orbits closer to the Sun. Shining so beautifully in our skies, ancients were moved to name her for the Roman goddess of love (yes, the Greek goddess’ name is Aphrodite).

Venus is so brilliant because it is covered completely with clouds that reflect most of the sunlight that reaches it. Those brilliant clouds indeed reflect the Sun's light, but they also hold in the solar heat. Venus' surface temperature of nearly 900 degrees Fahrenheit is so high it can melt lead.

As I said -- she's hot!

For now, however, the goddess has disappeared from the western sky. She's become a morning girl.

The planet named for the goddess of love shine brilliantly next to the crescent Moon at 8 p.m. EST March 1. (a Sky Guide illustration).

Venus reached inferior conjunction at about 9 p.m. Saturday, March 22. At that point, the planet passed between Earth and the Sun. Now, Venus is taking a prominent position before sunrise. She'll soon be putting on a similar, brilliant show at dawn, just as we'd become accustomed to seeing her at dusk.

The orbit of Venus; the crescent shapes of the planet are visible because it is closer to the Sun and, for the most part, cannot be illuminated fully. In a telescope, these crescents are easy to see.

But is our goddess really all that beautiful? Not so much, after all. With her intense surface heat that can melt lead and crushing atmospheric pressure, it's one hellish environment. 

Only four spacecraft, which were destroyed quickly by the horrific  conditions, managed to send back images.Here is every picture ever taken from Venus' surface.

Watching Venus from a distance certainly is preferable to most humans, of course. From that vantage, hey, she's gorgeous! And the way she moves . . . seeing her dominate the evening sky, virtually disappear into solar glare, then reappear with prominence before sunrise, is fascinating. You can follow Venus; orbital mechanics and much more are described my colleagues at EarthSky. 

Are you an early riser? Venus will be welcoming you for much of the year, becoming difficult to see as she dives into the solar glare by November. By now, you may have spotted her.

Here she is, rising in the east! A view at 6:55 a.m. EDT March 31; and Venus has company! She'll outshine them by far (a Sky Guide illustration).

Be careful, though! I was among those enraptured by her charms, and you could be next. Her resplendency will enchant you from her throne in the growing dawn, and inspire you to look forward to each new day.

Dedicated to Amy Lynn Johns – my beautiful wife, my muse, my love, my Aphrodite! But I call her koukla!