This morning I set up my camera looking eastward along Highway 50. With city lights behind me, ‘Auto Row’ down the road, and a 19-day old waning gibbous Moon high over my right shoulder the sky was not really that dark. However pictures of visible planets and stars do not always have to be under dark skies or good seeing conditions. Adding to that were the low clouds along the horizon.
   This graphic shows the sky I had plans for imaging this morning, including Dwarf Planet Ceres near Pollux in the Gemini Twins. Plans had been to capture Mercury in conjunction with the star Regulus (check), and also Mars which this morning was closer to the horizon below Mercury (no check!). In the next few days Mars will be higher and easier to include in the group picture. Higher above the horizon and very bright with a -3.95 apparent magnitude was Venus.

   
   
   

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