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Astronomy/Could this be Venus?
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Question
I'm just south of Tampa Florida and the last two nights between 7:30 and 9:30 there is a bright star or planet in the western sky. Could this be Venus? It seems to move fast across the sky and it will flash red when it gets close to the horizon
South of Tampa Florida. My old neck of the woods. In the early 1980's I was the Staff Astronomer at the Bishop Planetarium in Bradenton. I am now in Albany, NY.
It is Venus. You canot really see it moving, but it is high up in the South west at around 7:30 and does set by 9:30 or so.
It will twinkle diffferent colors due to the atmospheric distortion of the heat waves rising off the Earth.
Steve
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Answers by Expert:
Steven LJ Russo
Expertise
As a space science educator in a planetarium, my work centers around teaching people about the night sky and the solar system. I have a strong background in those areas, plus the history of NASA and spaceflight, and meteorology.
Experience
Experience in the area. I have been an amateur astronomer for 47 years, and have been teachng space science in planetariums for 34 years. For 15 years I was a radio and television meteorologist, and for the past 20 years I have been a space science writer for two newspapers in New York State. I am a member of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society and the International Planetarium Society. I have had a number of articles published in several astronomy journals, including "The Constellation" and the "Planetarian". Education/Credentials. I hold a B. S. from Wagner College and an M. S. from State University of New York at Oswego. Awards and Honors. I have been awarded the "Fellows" award from the International Planetarium Society for more than 20 years of continuous service in the planetarium field.
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