Bright Companions

A waxing crescent moon and the -4.21 magnitude planet Venus were within about four degrees of one another as they set in the western sky on the evening of Thursday, February 27, 2020. Above, the bright duo are captured at 7:10 pm CST with an exposure of 1/6 second at f/4, ISO 6400 and 24mm focal length.  The bright star in the trees at right is the 2.06 magnitude Alpheratz in the constellation Andromeda. This image looks over Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with air temperature being 24 degrees F. Within 12 hours the clear sky would change to one of falling snow. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.