Image used for representation only.
Sky gazers in Qatar can now see the planet Venus shining brightly, being well placed for observation in the evening sky. The planet will reach the Perihelion point (nearest point) in its orbit around the sun today at 7:56pm Doha time, where it will be at 0.72 Astronomical Unite (AU) from the sun's centre.
People in Qatar will not need astronomical telescopes to see and observe Venus tomorrow over western horizon after sunset,” said a statement issued yesterday by Dr Beshir Marzouk and Dr Mohammed Al Ansari of Qatar Calendar House.
Sunset over Doha sky will be at 5:31 pm and Venus will be 37 degrees above the western horizon at this time, lasting until it sets at 8:20pm.
The planet Venus is one of just two planets that rotate from east to west around its axis. Only Venus and Uranus have this "backwards" rotation, while other planets of the solar system rotate from west to east. Also, Venus reaches Perihelion in its orbit around the sun every 225 days. Venus's orbit lies closer to the Sun than the Earth's, hence it always appears close to the Sun and is very difficult to observe most of the time.
