For this week's APOD, I chose the photograph called Two Views, Two Crescents. The picture was uploaded on November 11, 2010, but the picture was taken on November 5, 2010. The photo is a picture of two separate scenes, with interesting views of objects from space.
On November 5, 2010, Venus rose just before the Sun did. It was in its crescent phase, and could be viewed through binoculars or a telescope. This planet goes through phases just like our Moon does, as it is fairly close to the Earth. The phases on Venus are the different variations of lighting seen on the planet's surface, much again like the lunar phases. On the same day, the moon was seen in its waxing crescent phase, hugging the eastern horizon in Earth's morning skies. The celestial pictures were taken from two different places. The image on the left was taken from an Alpine Mountain (in Italy), and is a picture of two crescents hovering over the clouds. The two crescents were separated by less than one degree, meaning Venus and the Moon appeared very close to one another. The picture on the left is a telephoto taken from the Alborz Mountains in Iran, and was taken before an earlier sunrise. The tiny crescent of the Moon is apparently sliding towards Venus, in steady skies, with Venus's compact crescent just clearing the mountainous horizon. As of right now, Venus is able to be seen with binoculars on early November mornings.
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