Venus

by Pentti Kanerva

Having posed the question earlier, I just had to try to catch Venus before sunrise. With the sky clear this morning I drove to the Palo Alto Baylands that has a clear view over the Mt. Hamilton-Diablo range. I got there at 7am, focused the binoculars (9x25) at the Moon, and then started to scan the skyline to east-south-east. And immediately saw light! but it was a plane headed for SFO. Then I saw a fainter light that was the crescent of Venus, 2-3 degrees above the range (half the 5.6-degree field of the binoculars). I was able to track it until the Sun was up, nearly 5.6 degrees behind Venus, but then lost Venus. I never saw it with the naked eye. Now the challenge is to catch it tonight right after sunset!

Even if Venus had not shown itself, the sight of the Moon in twilight low over the coastal range was worth getting out.

Posted on sf-bay-tac Jan 15, 2006 09:26:38 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Mar 02, 2006 21:15:29 PT