Explanation:
This serene image
of boats moored in the harbor of
l'Île-Tudy, Bretagne, France was taken on June 1st,
about an hour after sunset.
It also features Venus,
third brightest celestial object
after the Sun and Moon.
For casual skygazers, this month marks
Venus' return
to the evening sky as the
brilliant 'star',
shining low in the west-northwest shortly after sunset.
In the picture,
astrophotographer
and APOD translator
Laurent Laveder notes that Venus is easily mistaken for
a light atop a sailboat's tall mast, giving
the otherwise stunning celestial beacon an unremarkable
appearance.
Of course, a year ago Venus' appearance was quite remarkable.
On June 8, 2004,
Venus crossed the Sun's disk,
the first transit of Venus since 1882.
Late this week
Venus shares the evening sky with the young
crescent Moon, and will next transit the Sun on June 6,
2012.
