Venus and Saturn put on a spectacular display right after sunset on the last day of June in 2007. These two celestial beacons were only about 41 arc-minutes apart in the evening sky. Venus was a bright magnitude -4.4 and Saturn was magnitude +0.4. Venus is very brightest when viewed from earth, because it is relatively close to our planet and because its clouds reflect a high percentage of the sunlight striking the planet. At the time of this image, Venus was slightly more than 35% illuminated and showed a cresent phase when viewed under high magnification with a telescope. Venus and Saturn had a similar conjunction on the morning of July 15, 2001.
The above images were taken with a Cannon EOS Digital Rebel SLR camera using an 18-55mm zoom lens. I was visiting relatives in Hillsdale, Michigan, and took these images just before our Fourth of July fireworks show.
June 30, 2007
Images by Sid Leach
Hillsdale, Michigan
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