A time-lapse photograph of Venus at its greatest eastern elongation by Tainan Astronomy Association honorary director Chou Yin-wang (周銀王) recently received accolades from astronomy enthusiasts, stargazers and other netizens after it was posted on social media.
An inner planet — a planet that orbits the sun closer than the Earth — is at its greatest elongation when its position is at a tangent to an observer on Earth.
Chou’s time-lapse photograph, which took seven months to complete, captures Venus’ shifting position in the night sky in a loop-like pattern.
Photo provided by Chou Yin-wang
“A classic,” one netizen said of the photograph, which Chou posted on Facebook on Aug. 6.
According to the Taipei Astronomical Museum, Venus is the brightest celestial body in the evening sky after the sun and the moon.
This year, Venus’ greatest eastern elongation occurred on June 7 and it remained exceptionally bright until mid-August, an ideal period for astrophotography, Chou added.
Chou said that he began shooting the planet in late December last year, traveling to Yuguang Island (漁光), the barrier islet near the ruins of Tainan’s Fort Zeelandia, 30 minutes after nightfall every evening for seven months, except on nights when weather conditions were not optimal.
Chou said his work covered the period from December last year to Aug. 3.
During this period, Venus moved from its lowest elevation at 10o to its highest elevation between late May and early June, Chou said, adding that he followed its descent until Aug. 7, when the planet’s position was too low to allow clear observation.
Chou created the final time-lapse picture by combining 31 photographs that clearly tracked Venus’ movements.
The work was not easy, as astrophotography requires a photographer to travel far from cities and the light pollution they create at night, Chou said.
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