Home > Ephemeris Program, Planets, Venus > Ephemeris: 01/10/2025 – Venus’ split personality

Ephemeris: 01/10/2025 – Venus’ split personality

January 10, 2025

This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 4 minutes, setting at 5:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:18. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:40 tomorrow morning.

In very ancient times the Greeks thought that Venus in the evening as we see it now and Venus in the morning sky were two separate planets. The evening appearance was Aphrodite the goddess of love, and in the morning sky it was Phosphorus, the bringer of light, that being dawn. In Roman times Aphrodite became Venus and Phosphorus became Lucifer. It is interesting that Venus and Aphrodite are female while Phosphorus and Lucifer are male. Another term for Venus which I even use colloquially, is Evening Star for its current location and Morning Star in the morning sky, even though it’s a planet not a star. Venus is a beautiful planet in our sky, but a hellish planet in reality. No wonder Elon Musk would rather go to Mars than the much closer Venus.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Two greatest elongations of Venus from the Sun this year
Here are the two greatest elongations of Venus from the Sun this year. Yesterday’s greatest eastern elongation and below, on May 31st, the greatest western elongation of Venus in the morning. So indeed, it is the same planet seen alternately in the morning and in the evening sky. I’m showing you below the horizon, so that the red orbit of the planet is seen in its entirety. Created using Stellarium, Libreoffice Draw, and GIMP.
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