3 bits of rock

April 17, 2010 in Misc, Photos, Wierd stuff

For the rest of this week there’s a beautiful sight to be seen in the western sky at dusk. A heavenly triad of a waxing moon, the bright planet Venus, and the more rarely seen planet Mercury. I’ve only been able to spot Mercury using binoculars. Here’s a photo, in case it helps anyone who’s interested. Can you spot which is which? Click the picture and you’ll see my highly swish overlay to guide your attention.

As a true space geek I’ve been keeping track of the planets with the amazing (free) Stellarium planetarium software. If you are at all interested by space and the night sky it’s a must.

I can’t help but feel excited by seeing a planet like Mercury, almost hidden in the orange afterglow of sunset. Perhaps it’s the fact that without looking, you’d never know it was there.

It’s not fishing as we know it, but it does involve standing around looking at the sky (which just about sums up my fishing so far this season).