Clouds Out, Venus In

The planet Venus (center) shines in the southwest sky after most of the clouds that had earlier brought rain and lightning to the area moved out. The sky still glows from the sun which set an hour earlier. This image was captured from the grounds of Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 8:25 PM, September 2, 2010. Venus, with its highly reflective atmosphere and close proximity to Earth make it the third brightest object in our skies. It has been said it can even cast shadows from your hand onto white paper during very dark nights. As seen from Earth, the planet is actually at its brightest in its crescent phase.