Venus can be seen in the eastern sky in the hours before dawn for several months around greatest western elongation. It can also be seen in the western sky in the hours after dusk for several months...

Venus can be seen in the eastern sky in the hours before dawn for several months around greatest western elongation. It can also be seen in the western sky in the hours after dusk for several months around greatest eastern elongation. Refer to the following table to see if Venus is currently near a position of greatest elongation. If so, view the planet through a telescope. Make a sketch of the planet’s appearance. From your sketch, can you determine whether Venus is closer to us or farther from us than the Sun?

*Venus can be seen in the eastern sky in the hours before dawn for several months around greatest western elongation. It can be seen in the western sky in the hours after dusk for several months around greatest eastern elongation.