When I took this photograph of Venus and Jupiter, they where only three degrees apart on the sky approaching conjunction. I was concerned that the thin clouds that were drifting across the sky would prevent me from photographing them that evening, but I persisted and found a few moments when both planets were visible and was also treated with the gift of nice sunset colors within the clouds. I was visiting Monument Valley Tribal Park and was hoping for an opportunity to photograph these planets with a nice foreground. As you can see, I was able to find that opportunity and had the good fortune to be able to include beautiful cloud colors to go with the silhouetted rock formations. Even though Venus is behind a cloud, it was bright enough to shine through.
Photographer: Rick Scott
Date: November 28, 2008 at 5:41 PM MST
Camera: Canon EOS 40D digital camera
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM at 50mm
Exposure: 5.0 seconds at f/5.6
Camera Mode: ISO 100 RAW
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2 for RAW conversion and image processing
Updated: 30 November 2008