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Astronomy/Bright Light in Western Sky

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Expert: - 7/7/2007


Question
I live in Dayton, OH and recently I've noticed a very bright white light (looks like a star yet is out when no other stars are).  Even with other stars this is by far the brightest to the direct west.  Any idea what it is?

Answer
Hello,

Looks to me like you are referencing the planet Venus, which dominates the western sky in the evening at this time. On June 30 it had a magnitude of (-4.6) which would make it hundreds of times brighter than any star in the vicinity. For most of the month of July it will have a magnitude over -4.

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Philip Stahl

Expertise

I have forty years of experience in Astronomy, specifically solar and space physics. My specialties include the physics of solar flares, sunspots, including their effects on Earth and statistics as applied to astronomical investigations.

Experience

Astronomy: more than forty years experience starting with construction of my own simple telescopes. Worked at university observatory in college, doing astrographic measurements. M.Phil. degree in Physics/Solar Physics and more than ten years as researcher.

Organizations
American Astronomical Society (Solar Physics and Dynamical Astronomy divisions), American Mathematical Society, American Geophysical Union

Publications
Solar Physics (journal), The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, The Proceedings of the Meudon Solar Flare Workshop (1986), The Proceedings of the Caribbean Physics Conference (1985). Books: 'Selected Analyses in Solar Flare Plasma Dynamics', 'Physics Notes for Advanced Level'.

Education/Credentials
B.A. Astronomy, M. Phil. Physics

Awards and Honors
American Astronomical Society Studentship Award (1984), Barbados Government Award for Solar Research

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