Crowded Sky

The western sky was quite busy

around 6:28 PM, Saturday, February

25, 2012 as four celestial objects

were all setting together. At upper left

is the -2.19 magnitude planet Jupiter, at

center is the -10.63 magnitude waxing

crescent moon and the -4.19 magnitude

planet Venus and at lower right just

above right of the transmitter tower

is the -1.07 magnitude planet Mercury.

The image, shot at 1/20 second at f/3.5,

1600 ISO and 18mm focal length, was

photographed from just west of the

grounds at Christ Community United

Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa.

Sunset was 37 minutes earlier. Air

temperature was a chilly 22 degrees F.

Invisible here because of its dim 5.93

magnitude was the planet Uranus, located

at this time between Venus and Mercury.