Photo of the Week for September 20, 2013

Just after sunset on Sunday, September 8, a close conjunction of Venus and the thin crescent Moon caught the attention of many SkyNews readers.  At 3.5 days old, only 13% of the Moon was illuminated, allowing Earthshine to add to the scene.  Only rarely are ther night sky’s two brightest objects two degrees or less apart, as seen here. Bill McMullen of Rockland, Ontario captured the pair hovering over the western horizon from Petrie Island, Ottawa.  Adding to the beauty of his photo was a Great Blue Heron suddenly landing in the foreground just before the image was taken.  Equipment: Canon 7D DSLR with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens (used at 62mm) at f/8.  The  2-second exposure was taken at ISO 400.