Venus: A 7.5-Month Journey

The composite chronicles the seven and a half month journey of Venus as the evening star, meticulously captured from a Bursa, Turkey, between July 2024 and March 2025. Each frame, taken when the Sun was precisely 7 degrees below the horizon, documents the planet’s evolving position in the twilight sky. The sequence begins with Venus’s initial, subtle emergence low on the western horizon, gradually rising and becoming more prominent as it ascends. By January 2025, Venus reaches its greatest elongation, showcasing its brilliance and lingering for 3.5 to 4 hours after sunset in the northern hemisphere.

Notably, the final three weeks of observations also capture the appearance of Mercury, a smaller, fainter companion to Venus in the evening sky. This period, coinciding with a favorable evening apparition for Mercury, allowed for its documentation, revealing its own, much smaller clockwise loop over the western horizon.

The compilation of individual photographs into this animation provides a unique perspective on the planetary dance, illustrating the relative motions of Venus and Mercury against the backdrop of the urban landscape. Please note that Venus’s initial appearance in the animation may be challenging to discern due to its low altitude and the lingering twilight, a factor that diminishes as the planet ascends. This visual record offers a fascinating glimpse into the celestial mechanics observable from our own terrestrial perspective.