Having posed the question earlier, I just had to try to
catch Venus before sunrise. With the sky clear this morning
I drove to the Palo Alto Baylands that has a clear view over
the Mt. Hamilton-Diablo range. I got there at 7am, focused
the binoculars (9x25) at the Moon, and then started to scan
the skyline to east-south-east. And immediately saw light!
but it was a plane headed for SFO. Then I saw a fainter
light that was the crescent of Venus, 2-3 degrees above the
range (half the 5.6-degree field of the binoculars). I was
able to track it until the Sun was up, nearly 5.6 degrees
behind Venus, but then lost Venus. I never saw it with the
naked eye. Now the challenge is to catch it tonight right
after sunset!
Even if Venus had not shown itself, the sight of the Moon in
twilight low over the coastal range was worth getting out.
Clear horizons. -Pentti
_
Received on Sun Jan 15 09:26:38 2006