Venus
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Press Releases
Lunar Occultation of Venus
On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers across the United States—and parts of Canada—enjoyed a rare event: a daytime lunar occultation of Venus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon moves directly in front of another celestial object from our viewpoint on Earth, briefly hiding it from sight. This time, the Moon slipped in front of Venus for the first of three occultations happening…
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NASA
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Buck Moon and Belt of Venus Explanation: The Buck Moon is a traditional name for the full moon of July. In this colorful Adriatic sea and skyscape captured on July 28 from Krk Island along the coast of Croatia, a full Buck Moon is just rising over distant mountains. Since a full moon rises as the Sun sets, Earth’s shadow also rises in the…
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NASA
What’s Up: August 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A solar eclipse, the Perseids, bright Venus after sunset, and a deep partial lunar eclipse highlight August’s skywatching. Skywatching Highlights Aug. 5: Last Quarter Moon Aug. 12: Total solar eclipse across northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and part of Portugal; partial eclipse in parts of the U.S.; New Moon Aug. 12-13: Perseid meteor shower peak under dark skies Aug. 14-16: Venus reaches greatest…
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NASA
Moon-Venus Conjunction
The Moon and Venus, center, are seen in conjunction above the Washington Monument, Monday, May 18, 2026, as viewed from the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington. The Moon and Venus look close together because they line up from our point of view on Earth. In reality, they are separated by millions of miles in space. See more…
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NASA
What’s Up: May 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Shooting stars before dawn, a brilliant meetup between the Moon and Venus and a rare blue moon to end the month The Eta Aquarid meteor shower brings shooting stars before dawn, the Moon meets brilliant Venus after sunset, and May wraps up with a rare Blue Moon. Skywatching Highlights May 5 + 6 : Best time to see the Eta Aquarids May…
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NASA
What’s Up: August 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Venus-Jupiter Conjunction and Meteor Mojo Jupiter and Venus shine brightly in the mornings as they appear to graze each other in the sky on the 11th and 12th. The Perseids are washed out by the Moon. Skywatching Highlights All Month – Planet Visibility: Mercury: Pops up above the horizon during the second half of August. Appears very low, below 10 degrees…
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NASA
Protected: Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER)
GEER is a world-class facility designed to simulate extreme environments. The Surface of Venus – Here on Earth The Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) is a high-tech pressure vessel capable of simulating the temperature, pressure, and atmospheric gas mix of many extreme environments in the solar system and beyond. These capabilities enable unique science investigations, provide the ability to conduct risk-reduction…
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NASA
NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus
Using archival data from the mission, launched in 1989, researchers have uncovered new evidence that tectonic activity may be deforming the planet’s surface. Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. On Earth, the planet’s surface is…
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NASA
NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise
New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth’s hotter twin. This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer…
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NASA
Venus Blows Off Some Steam
Tall plumes of white vapor rise from the rocky Venusian surface in this April 19, 1977, artist’s concept. A little over a year later, NASA’s Pioneer Venus 1 would launch as the first of a two-spacecraft orbiter-probe combination designed to study the atmosphere of Venus. The first American spacecraft to orbit Venus, Pioneer Venus 1 used radar to map the surface of…
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