Do you know what is the next brightest object in the sky beside the Sun & Moon? It's the planet, Venus also called the evening star. If your child loves to stargaze and is curious about the stars, Moon & the Sun, this is a great opportunity to show them the evening star.
Venus is currently the second-brightest object in the night sky, second only to the moon. On Tuesday night the planet will appear to shine more than nine times brighter than its brightest planetary competitor, Jupiter, and it will outshine Sirius, the brightest star in Earth's night sky, by at least 20-fold as per the experts.
Why Is Venus So Bright?
Venus is so bright because it is covered by clouds that reflect much of the incoming sunlight. The yellowish clouds are made of sulphur and sulphuric acid. In some ways, Venus is Earth’s twin.
After this week, the bright "evening star" will slowly start to dim again before the planet disappears in the sun's glare at the end of May. It will reappear in early June as a "morning star."
Image Source: https://www.indiatimes.com/
In India, it will be visible on the morning of April 28 at 6.30 AM and will be at its brightest. The planet will be in the west, so that's the direction you should be looking at after unset wherever you are. The brightest object you see will be Venus. If you the weather is clear it will actually be hard to miss.
There are some star gazing apps we recommend if you are interested in the stars and the constellations.
The Cosmic Watch is an interactive 3D tool. You can use it as a real-time world clock, time travel machine or an astro-lab. It gives you real-time view access to all the planets and stars that float around the Earth. Read our review here
Night Sky – You can explore a virtual representation of the night sky to identify stars, planets, constellations and satellites. This is available only on Apple devices. You can download it here.
If you want to make learning interactive and fun for your kids, sign up for the Kidsstoppress Summer Fun Factory today! You will find Learning Apps, Fitness Apps, AR related Apps and tons more. Click here to get instant access to it all.
Image Source: https://www.space.com/
Kanishka Pariani
Mansi Zaveri
KSP Team
