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Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Venus, the evening star


I was at the top level of the Straits Quay building in Tanjong Tokong, Penang yesterday evening while waiting for the doors of the convention centre to be flung open. Bored stiff, waiting for that to happen, my wife and I then decided to step out to the open corridor for some fresh air.

"What's that?" asked my wife, pointing to a small speck of light in the sky. Well, I answered, that is definitely not a star since it was not shimmering in the darkness. "There are only two planets we can see very clearly with our naked eyes without squinting. Mars is red, which this speck of light is not. Thus, what you see can only be Venus."

It was a calculated guess but as it turned out when I checked the astronomy guide this morning, I was correct. That was Venus in the night sky and it should be visible in the evening sky for some time yet.

I tried aiming my camera to capture the sight of Venus above the earth-bound surroundings and this one, with the least camera shake, turned out to be the best shot from the three or four pictures I took. Our nearest planetary neighbour is there, high up in the sky. See it? That very tiny speck of light above the lit Tanjong Tokong skyline?



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