Brilliant Venus Competes With The Moon

A waning crescent moon and the planet Venus (top) rise in the morning sky at 6:25 AM on Friday, December 3, 2010. Venus was just one day away from its greatest visual magnitude (-4.9) since February, 2006, but the clouds and snow that moved into the Cedar Rapids, Iowa metro area later on this day would prevent any Saturday morning viewing. This image was captured with a 1.3-second exposure at f/8, an ISO rating of 1000 and a focal length of 48mm. The air temperature at this time was 14 degrees F.