Astronomers observed "rainbow Venus" from Earth

Like the moon, Venus has phases, and right now it's a crescent moon. Moreover, it is a rainbow crescent. Meying Lee photographed this phenomenon from Hsinchu, Taiwan.

"I took a video of a tiny crescent moon plunging into the clouds at sunset," says Lee. "The colors of the rainbow were quite distinct."

The Earth's atmosphere acts as a prism, dividing the light of Venus into primary colors. Tiny red Venus, blue Venus and green Venus move across the sky in tandem - a heavenly rainbow.

Eliot Herman photographed a colorful arc last night in Tucson, Arizona:

"There was a narrow period of time just after sunset when Venus was visible and the sun was safely behind the mountains south of Tucson," Herman says. "That's when I took this picture."

Soon the Sun and Venus will be too close to each other to shoot at sunset. On Saturday, January 8, Venus will pass almost directly between the Earth and the Sun - an event astronomers call "incomplete connection". At this time, the separation will be no more than 5 degrees, and Venus will be surrounded by daytime blue.

Anthony J. Cook, who recently retired from the Griffith Observatory, gives the following tips for observing Venus in the daytime:

"Find a tall building that will shade your telescope at noon. This will make it relatively easy and safe to find and observe Venus from the northern hemisphere. Just make sure that the telescope is completely in the shadow of the building, and observe for 15 minutes after local noon."