Waning and waxing Crescent of Venus
Taken by PAOLO PALMA on October 31, 2026 @
Rome
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Details:
On 24 October 2026, the planet Venus was in inferior conjunction, reaching and exceeding an angular diameter of 1 arcminute.
Seen from Earth almost exactly from behind, it appeared as a very thin crescent, largely consisting of sunlight scattered through the clouds in its atmosphere.
Around that time, the planet passed from being the evening star to the morning star, and through binoculars or a telescope it was possible to observe the phase transition from a waning crescent ‘ↄ’ facing west to a waxing crescent ‘c’ facing east (unlike the Moon).
The attached images are a composite of two photographs taken in broad daylight: one on the 11th at the foot of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome, and the other on 31 October 2026 amongst yellow autumn leaves, and thus taken before and after the inferior conjunction respectively, and artistically combined to make it easier to compare the different appearance the planet displays in this situation just a few days apart.
The first photograph was taken in the morning, the second in the afternoon; therefore, to minimise the effect of the Earth’s rotation on the orientation of the crescent, I rotated it by 90 degrees, thus bringing the planet into a position almost exactly as it appeared in the morning.
Photographer's website:
https://www.unsaltonelcielo.it
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