If you've been out getting your newspaper in the early morning between 5:30 and 6:30 AM the past few days, with the weather finally clearing, you may have noticed an extremely bright point of light in the southeast. It is NOT an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), though it is the object mostly commonly mistaken for a UFO. It is the planet Venus. According to Dr. Lee Shapiro, Director of the Morehead Planetarium, "Venus is the second brightest object you can see in the night sky, with only the Moon appearing brighter. In fact, Venus is so bright, it can even be seen in the daytime sky; though it is extremely difficult to find."

For those wanting to meet the challenge of seeing Venus in the daytime or those just interested in a pretty view, the early morning hours of Monday, February 23 offer the opportunity. On that morning, the thin waning crescent Moon will be low in the southeast. Just to the left of the Moon will be Venus. The two will make a striking pair that an observer can follow from as early as 5:00 AM until sunrise at 6:53 AM EST (in Chapel Hill). If you continue to observe the Moon and use it as a guide to find Venus, then you have a good chance of being able to continue to observe Venus even after sunrise. The technique works even better if you position yourself so that a building or trees block the rising Sun from your view. The opportunity is, of course, weather dependent. On the morning before, Sunday, February 22, the Moon will be higher in the sky at the same times, with Venus below and to the left of the Moon. On Tuesday morning, February 24, Venus rises first and you may actually have to work harder to find the Moon which will be a very thin crescent to the below and to the left of Venus.

On all three days, you may be able to see the phenomena sometimes called the New Moon in the Old Moon's arms. In addition to seeing the bright sunlit crescent Moon, you are also able to distinguish the rest of the Moon. That darker part of the Moon is in nighttime facing away from the Sun, but you are able to see it because it is being lit by Earthshine. This Earthshine is just sunlight reflected off the clouds and oceans of the Earth. If you were an astronaut standing on the front side of the Moon (the side facing the Earth), you would see a huge bright waxing gibbous Earth in the sky, giving you more than enough light by which to read.

To find out more about UFO's come see the Morehead Planetariums current topical show called "UFO," which tells how one should observe unusual objects in the sky. The presentation also investigates some of the renown past reports of UFO's. "UFO" plays nightly (except Mondays) at 8:30 PM with additional 3:30 PM matinee performances at Saturday and Sunday. For those who want to know more about the night sky in general, the Planetarium presents "Sky Rambles," which looks at whats up in the current night sky on Fridays at 3:30 and 7:30 PM.

For more information about this or other Morehead Planetarium events, call (919) 962-1236.