Look about 12 degrees above the eastern horizon at 6:00 A.M.,
and you will see an unusually bright white looking star. There
is no other object in that area of the sky that is even close to
being as bright. Remember, if you hold your fist out at arm’s
length, the distance between the lower and upper part of your
fist measures about 10 degrees. The celestial object you are
looking at is not a star at all, but the planet Venus. It is the
second planet in order of its distance from the Sun. The Earth
is the third planet from the Sun. Through a small telescope,
Venus now looks like a gibbous Moon, and is about 88%
illuminated. Currently, the planet Venus is situated in the
constellation of Virgo which is one of the constellations of
Less than 2 degrees away from Venus from our line of sight here
on the Earth is the planet Saturn. This is now an excellent
opportunity to see Saturn, and its magnificent ring system. It
is literally a breath taking view! However, a telescope at a low
power of at least 40 times is nee