Explanation:
Early morning risers and late to bed astronomers have recently
enjoyed
bright planets in predawn skies, with
brilliant Venus above the eastern horizon.
On November 5, Venus was joined by the waning crescent
Moon.
This self-portrait by astronomer Larry Ciupik captures the
lovely pairing of the two brightest celestial beacons on the scene,
though the Moon, right of Venus, is strongly over exposed.
Included at the far left in the 30 second exposure is the bright
streak of the International
Space Station still docked with shuttle orbiter
Discovery.
Together in Earth orbit, the
spacefaring combination was momentarily
the third brightest
sky
light in view.
In dim silhouette, a multi-mirrored unit of the
Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System
(VERITAS)
is also visible in the foreground.
VERITAS operates at the Whipple Observatory near Tucson, Arizona
to detect high-energy gamma-rays
from the cosmos.
News: The 28th Carnival of Space is
now online.
