Venus shines high in pre-dawn ANZAC Day 2014 and above ANZAC Cove, Turkey 1915

(Posted 23 April 2014)  If you are attending this week’s ANZAC Day Dawn Service (Friday 25 April 2014), before the service starts you can take part in a little naked eye astronomy by looking up and to the East.

Assuming you have clear skies, you will easily be able to observe dazzling Venus and a waning crescent Moon. If you have brought a pair of binoculars and a finder chart, you will also be able to star hop to the planet Neptune.

While you are reflecting on the tragedy that was Gallipoli, you also might ponder what sights the ANZAC’s should have been able to enjoy without the stupidity of the war they were sent there to fight. It turns out that dazzling Venus and Jupiter would have been prominent low on the Eastern horizon at what would be later renamed ANZAC Cove, Turkey.

So take the time to soak in the light from the planet Venus in the predawn sky Friday and know that you are enjoying a sight denied to the ANZAC soldiers.