THIS MONTH’S PLANETS
Venus takes part in a striking conjunction this summer
Venus is our planet of the month again because this is the last month when it will be dominating the sky. It’s been a striking sight in the evening sky for the past few months, but now it is edging back towards the Sun and will soon be lost from view, so it only seems fair to focus on it one last time before another planet takes its place here at the top of the page.
At its best, Venus shines brighter than any other planet in the sky. It is Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, and because it is very similar in size to our own world it is often called ‘Earth’s Twin’. However, that is a very inaccurate comparison, because whereas Earth is a lush green and blue world abundant in life, Venus is a barren, heat-blasted rock with poisonous air, deadly heat and crushing atmospheric pressure at its surface. Ironic then that its beautiful appearance in the sky led to it being named after the Goddess of Love.