This week brilliant and beautiful Venus will be gliding by one of the prettiest star clusters and sights in the sky - the Seven Sisters or Pleiades.
Go outside after it starts to get dark and find Venus in the western sky. This week Venus will be moving by the Pleiades, a small star cluster that looks for all the world like a little dipper - in fact I have had some people think they are viewing the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor - home of the North Star Polaris) when they see the Pleaides for the first time. The popular name for the cluster - The Seven Sisters - refers to the number of stars that can be seen with the unaided and healthy eye.
The Pleiades is part of the winter constellation Taurus the Bull and forms the shoulder of the Bull.
Use binoculars or a small telescope to enhance your view. The sky show will go on all week as Venus appraches, melds and then leaves the famous star cluster.
Read More About It: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/02apr_venuspleiades/
Sky Guy in VA
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