Reflections Of A Celestial Event

Bright enough to stand out in the sky above the highly-illuminated Quaker Oats cereal mill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa--the trio of Jupiter, the Moon and Venus were a visual treat at almost any location you could choose during the early morning hours of Sunday, July 15, 2012. The still waters of the Cedar River reflected not only the light of Quaker Oats but also the Moon (top image). In the bottom image, taken near a railroad bridge that survived the 2008 flood, the planet Venus can be seen just above and touching the grain elevator at left, with the Moon and Jupiter above it. Venus shone at magnitude -4.47; Jupiter, -2.09. The top image, shot at 3:47 AM, is a three-second exposure at f/11, ISO 1000 and 32mm focal length. The bottom image was shot at 3:58 AM and is a six-second exposure at f/16, ISO 400 and 18mm focal length.