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Oman News

Oman skywatchers to see Venus at peak brightness tonight

The skies of the Sultanate of Oman will witness a stunning astronomical event this evening (February 16), as Venus reaches its peak brightness after sunset

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Muscat – The Oman Society of Astronomy and Space has announced that the planet will be at its most luminous after sunset on Sunday, February 16, 2025.

Tonight, Venus will be in its crescent phase, reflecting a large amount of sunlight due to its angle relative to the sun and Earth. This phase, combined with the planet’s closest proximity to Earth during this cycle, will make it exceptionally bright and clear, especially when viewed through telescopes.

The planet will be visible on the western horizon in its crescent phase, reflecting a large amount of sunlight due to the unique angle formed between the Sun, Earth, and Venus.

This phenomenon marks Venus’s closest point to Earth in this cycle, making it the brightest it has been in this period. According to the Oman Society of Astronomy and Space, Venus will appear approximately 30 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky after the Sun. With an apparent magnitude of -4.52, Venus will outshine all celestial bodies except for the Sun and the Moon.

Venus will remain visible in the western evening sky until mid-March, gradually disappearing around March 16th before reappearing as a “morning star” on the eastern horizon at the end of the month.

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