Crescent Moon, Venus and Jupiter

Crescent Moon, Venus and Jupiter
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

The show started just after sunset while there was still a lot of light still in the evening sky. The Crescent Moon floated on some wispy clouds and Venus was faint, but visible. If you click on this picture it will take you to my Flickr page with a few more pictures of tonight's sky show which ended with the photo below.

As an added treat you can see what is known as Earthshine which is caused by sunlight that reflects off the Earth onto the Moon's night side.

Venus at Twilight

Venus at Twilight
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

I love following the changes in the evening skies, tracking the phases of the moon, the times of the rising and setting moon and/or sun. I also get great notice of special events from the Nasa site http://science.nasa.gov/

Recently thee was an article that describes the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter over the next several evenings and ending on Dec. 1st with the two planets appearing extremely close together and being joined by the crescent moon.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/24nov_skyshow.htm

The top picture is of Venus which showed up first in tonight's twilight sky.

Not long afterwards you can also pick out Jupiter in the night sky (top of the picture). Each night they will appear to move closer to each other and I hope to be able to get some pictures when the crescent Moon joins the party.

Moonrise at Lighthouse Beach

Moonrise at Lighthouse Beach
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

I was down at the lighthouse yesterday afternoon to see the almost full moon rising about an hour before sunset. There were plenty of cloud lines tinged with a pretty pink color and a lovely moon rising over the water. Later that night, when returned from dinner at friends house, I was greeted by the ongoing howling of my local coyotes. It went on for longer then I can ever remember hearing before and it was very scary. I of course solved the problem by taking my hearing aids out - and vanquished those sounds to other ears. And to think the fullest moon isn't for two more days.

Crescent Moon and Venus Over Oyster Pond

Crescent Moon and Venus Over Oyster Pond
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

On Halloween night, not long after sunset, a slim crescent moon was setting. The sun was still lighting the horizon with magnficent color and the deepening twilight brought the moon into view. As an added treat, Venus was visible as well, not far above the moon.

Sunset at Oyster Pond

Sunset at Oyster Pond
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

The sun set about 10 minutes before this picture and was still lighting up the clouds and adding a glow to a tree on the far shore of Oyster Pond. Another magnificent sky saying goodnight to the sun.

Rainbow Over Pleasant Bay

Rainbow Over Pleasant Bay
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

I was driving home when I spotted this beauty and pulled onto the road that leads to the Eastward Ho Golf Course.

Do you think there is a pot of gold over there? Even if there is, it could not be worth more then my good fortune of living this beautiful place.

Morning Sun

Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

I had hoped to watch the sun rise this morning, but when I checked outside the sky was totally overcast so I did not rush down to the Lighthouse with the camera. But Sunday would not be the same if I did not take a mug of coffee and go down to the Lighthouse, so went a couple of hours after sunrise and was treated to an incredibly beautiful view. While all of Chatham seemed to be under a heavy cloud cover, there was a break in the clouds offshore that allowed the rays of the sun to shine through and for the sun itself to reflect on the water. How lucky I feel when I am treated to such magnificent view, knowing I live in a place where there is something beautiful to enjoy every single day.

To really enjoy this click on the picture and select a larger size to enjoy.