Post Christmas Celestial Lineup

A crescent moon and the planet Venus line up vertically as seen in the western sky from just west of the grounds at Christ Community United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa around 5:25 PM, Tuesday, December 27, 2011. This view looks toward the neighboring city of Cedar Rapids. A smattering of Christmas lights are still evident just below the horizon. Venus gleams at a bright -3.98 magnitude. Also faintly seen in the sky are two ghostly contrail streaks. This image was shot at 1/3 second, f/8, 800 ISO, 22mm focal length. Air temperature was a relatively mild 35 degrees F.