Sunday, February 03, 2008

Venus and Jupiter in Morning Skies

I find myself busy with burst pipes under the kitchen sink and lots of water to mop up. So, instead of writing anything, here is a lovely picture to reward you for visiting. And reassure Julie that I'm fine.


Explanation: These two celestial beacons shining brightly in the east before sunrise are actually children of the Sun, the planets Venus and Jupiter. The second and third brightest objects in the sky at Night after the Moon, Venus and Jupiter appeared separated by about 2 degrees when this picture was taken on January 30th, but closed to within nearly half a degree early yesterday morning. In the serene foreground is the shoreline along the Miankaleh Peninsula and Gorgan Bay, an important bird and wildlife refuge in the southeastern Caspian Sea. Over the next two days, early morning risers around the globe will be able to enjoy a close pairing of Venus and Jupiter with an old crescent Moon.
From Astronomy Picture of the Day: NASA
Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN) Click to enlarge.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a perfect photo. You were able to capture the brilliance in spite of the unnatural lighting nearby.

Tabor

J said...

I wonder if people think that I'm a worrywart when they read that? But now I know if Grandma calls, I can say that you were at least fine this morning. ;)

Anonymous said...

Oh no, that sucks. I hope it wasnt too bad. It must be really cold for that to happen. Jenny