Oh, Venus---Hey Venus...

My intention during the evening of Friday, February 21, 2025 was to see Saturn and newcomer Mercury in the month's-long planetary "parade." While waiting for the duo to materialize out of the glare of the fading sunset, I trained my camera in nearly the opposite direction in a farm field bordering Lowe Park in Marion, Iowa. This was the scene across the desolate snowy field looking northeast at 6:13 pm CST. Image is a 1/8 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 400, 24mm focal length.

As it turned out, I would not see either planet, either with the naked eye or by over-brighting captured images in post processing. What WAS visually undeniable was the presence of the striking -4.32 magnitude planet Venus in the west. This image was captured at 6:23 pm and is a 1/10 second exposure at f/5, ISO 800, 24mm focal length.

6:41 pm. Realizing opportunity was lost for a Saturn and Mercury sighting, fingers frozen, it was time to head for home. But one last vision presented itself for camera capture: this view of the internally illuminated Lowe Park greenhouse with city lights and the mighty Venus shining over it. 1.6 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 125, 24mm focal length. Air temperature was 17 degrees F. Nikon Z6ii camera.