 The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter from the airplane I was looking out the window at the crescent moon when I noticed a bulge on one limb. I had just grabbed my camera and started clicking when the pilot came on the PA to mention that those on the left side could see a rare astronomical sight of Venus emerging from behind the moon. My pictures didn't turn out very well (not surprising), but this link shows an excellent view. What I especially like about the link is how it shows how bright Venus is compared to the surface of the moon. We usually think of the moon as white, but actually even the light areas are made of very dark rocks. It was total luck that I got to see this at all. Happened to have a window seat on the left. Happened to be in Europe. (It wasn't visible in the U.S.) Happened to be in an airplane. (It was cloudy on the ground.) |