Guys, I'm a bit surprised but do appreciate a heartfelt warning. I'm also surprised that anyone actually thought Ron and I were referring to looking at the sun. I would like to make a few points. - Nobody posted about looking at the sun. I actually posted that I had the sun blocked by a building. The target is Venus. - This is the preferred method of observing objects other than the sun in daylight. You position the sun behind a building so that there is ZERO danger of blinding yourself. You are standing in the shade. - This is how I've done it since I was ten years old. A little bit of common sense and nobody loses their eyesight. A little bit of careful reading and nobody thinks somebody is being instructed to look at the sun. - Venus is largest and brightest when in this part of it's orbit, relative to earth. The time before and after superior conjunction. There's no crescent to see at other times and it isn't nearly as visible naked-eye. - Observing Venus (and other objects) in daylight is a long-established practice in amateur astronomy and has been written about doing it safely for many, many decades. I recall the method from the late 60's. - What's the difference between looking at the moon during the day, and this, safety-wise? Nothing. Looking at the crescent moon as a substitute for finding Venus in daylight with the naked-eye... really? Not buying that one unless you're teaching very young kids. I just posted this because I happened to remember about where Venus would be at this time of day and it's at a good point in it's orbit for a possible naked-eye sighting. I had a small binocular with me so verified the observation. I thought it kind of cool and wanted to share. So thanks for the warning guys, but come on, it's part of astronomy and an approved activity older than all of us. Let's keep the Nanny State out of the hobby. You are far more likely to be killed on your next trip to the grocery store, than to blind yourself doing this project. The sun need never touch your skin during the whole time you're looking. Ron, yes Venus is leading the sun, far to the west of it. Make sure there's no glare from direct or reflected sunlight, say off a window maybe. Use the method I used, standing in the shade with a good view due south. I want to try it again using a polarizing filter to see if that will darken the sky and possibly aid visibility. Venus is just over a degree from Spica right now, and for a few days. The sun is in Libra. There's quite a bit of angular seperation and Venus is well out of the solar glare. Had I not been wearing my prescription glasses, I doubt I that I would have seen it quickly, surely it would have taken more time because I can't focus tightly on infinity without my glasses. If you have the SkEye app on a smartphone, it can show you precisely where to look during the day. But I think if the air is clear and you get Venus close to the meridian, it should be easy. Took me a bit to find it but once I did, I could recover it pretty easily. Use a plainisphere or computer program to determine when Spica is on the meridian, that's the time to look.