VENUS EMERGED from behind the Moon yesterday evening as a brilliant dot. You won't see the like again until 2095, at least not in the evening. It was about 1708 when Venus was last occluded by the Moon in the evening.
According to David Moore, of Astronomy Ireland, at 3.37pm yesterday, when Venus disappeared behind the Moon, it was still too bright for this to be seen by the naked eye. Not so at 5.08, when Venus made "a fantastic reappearance as a bright dot right on the edge of the Moon". It was then that the phones at Astronomy Ireland began to hop as people rang to inquire about the brilliant object in the sky.
Then, at 5.46pm, the International Space Station passed over, also visible to the naked eye, causing more excitement. You will be able to see the space station pass over most evenings until December 10th, cloud permitting. Further details at www.astronomy.ie
