Skyscape

Night time often has me in mommy mode, rounding kids up to the bathrooms and bedrooms to get ready for sleeping. Even on weekends when we can relax our schedule. Fortunately, I wasn't home when darkness fell last night, and my husband wasn't in strict daddy mode.

Venus and the moon were two degrees apart last evening. Click on my picture to make it larger so you can see Venus well.

I finally had time to snag a new geocache (#97) around 8 p.m. I knew of a brand new one just one mile from my house, so I hopped on the bike a little before the sun went down. I found it easily, and on the way home, I saw the sky. I had read an email in the afternoon, telling me to get everyone outside to look at Venus and the moon this evening. So I called home quick so everyone could see it, then I got a photo. I felt a great urgency to get home because of the darkness, since I have no headlamp on the bike. Which means that I didn't take the time to change the settings on my camera to landscape and twilight. I really need more practice with this type of shooting scenario.

I also saw Mercury low in the horizon. It was extremely bright. I think we have been seeing it for two weeks now, but haven't confirmed that. But I do know that I saw it last night. We've seen a very bright body at the ball park that has to be a planet. I just never remember to find a night sky map.

Tonight, we should have another great skyscape. We just have to remember to relax and look up.