VENUS, VENUS BURNING BRIGHT, FIRST STAR# I SEE TONIGHT BUT WHAT’S THAT NEXT TO IT?

WE'RE LOOKING WEST AT SUNSET.# AS THE SKY DARKENS THE FIRST LIGHT YOU'LL SEE IS THE PLANET VENUS!# IT IS *BY FAR* THE BRIGHTEST PLANET IN OUR EVENING SKY.

AND RIGHT NEXT TO IT IS JUPITER.

VENUS AND JUPITER ARE BRIGHT BECAUSE OF THEIR# ALBEDO, THE MEASURE OF LIGHT REFLECTING OFF THE PLANET.

JUPITER, REFLECTS ABOUT FIFTY PERCENT# OF THE LIGHT THAT HITS IT, WHICH IS WHY IT’S BRIGHT BUT VENUS’S SULFURIC ACID ATMOSPHERE# AND THICK YELLOW CLOUD COVER MEANS IT REFLECTS SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE LIGHT THAT HITS IT!# THAT’S MORE THAN THE MOON AT ONLY TWELVE PERCENT.

VENUS WILL HAVE A CHARACTERISTIC YELLOW HUE,# WHILE JUPITER IS MORE BROWNISH.

KEEP WATCHING THESE PLANETS, BECAUSE NEXT WEEK TUESDAY# - OH MAN, IT’S GOING TO GET SO CLOSE!

IN THE MEANTIME, USE THE PLANETS MAKE A LINE# AND FIND REGULUS IN LEO THE LION WAY UP HERE!

SO MUCH TO SEE!

KEEP LOOKING UP!