Contrasting colors in this beautiful sunset sky [
http://www.schursas…vensat070107.html ] were captured on June 30 from Clear Creek Canyon Observatory in central Arizona, USA. The twilight scene includes brilliant [
http://www.digitals…shadow-of-venus.html ] Venus as the evening star [
http://www.johnprat…], with a bright Saturn just above it, shining through thin clouds. The two wandering [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] planets [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] were a mere 1 degree apart or so, about twice the width of the full Moon rising above the eastern horizon on the other side of the sky. In fact, such serene skyviews [
http://www.spacewea…] were possible from all over planet Earth as Venus and Saturn approached a conjunction [
http://en.wikipedia…Conjunctions_of_plan ets_in_right_ascensi on_2005-2020 ]. Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo [ http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Leo_(conste llation) ], is above and to the left of the close planetary pairing. At dusk, lights in tonight's sky will also feature Venus and Saturn low in the west and separated by about 2 degrees.
Explanation
Contrasting colors in this beautiful sunset sky [
http://www.schursas…vensat070107.html ] were captured on June 30 from Clear Creek Canyon Observatory in central Arizona, USA. The twilight scene includes brilliant [
http://www.digitals…shadow-of-venus.html ] Venus as the evening star [
http://www.johnprat…], with a bright Saturn just above it, shining through thin clouds. The two wandering [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] planets [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] were a mere 1 degree apart or so, about twice the width of the full Moon rising above the eastern horizon on the other side of the sky. In fact, such serene skyviews [
http://www.spacewea…] were possible from all over planet Earth as Venus and Saturn approached a conjunction [
http://en.wikipedia…Conjunctions_of_plan ets_in_right_ascensi on_2005-2020 ]. Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo [ http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Leo_(conste llation) ], is above and to the left of the close planetary pairing. At dusk, lights in tonight's sky will also feature Venus and Saturn low in the west and separated by about 2 degrees.
Explanation
