Crescent Moon/Venus Conjunction

A waning crescent moon and the planet Venus were close partners in the early morning sky in Iowa on Thursday, November 9, 2023--about one degree apart--creating a striking spectacle to viewers. The image above, looking east, was captured at 3:15 am CST and is a 4 second exposure at f/4, ISO 320, 62mm focal length. The four second exposure enhanced earthshine on the moon in the image. Venus shone at a sparkling -4.28 apparent magnitude. The Nikon Z6ii camera's location was on North Marion Road, just north of County Home Road (seen at background right), just north of Marion, Iowa. Air temperature was 35 degrees F. Many hours earlier in the Eastern Hemisphere, Venus actually occulted with the moon creating a "mini" eclipse.

Moon/Venus closeup. 3:18 am. 1/2 second exposure at f/4, ISO 500, 70mm focal length.