I only caught Venus and Jupiter twice this week with my camera. Between a day trip to Chicago and occasional sporadic thunderstorms, I only caught them Monday and Thursday nights.
The best shot from Monday night included this closeup of the Moon and Venus:
And the best one from Thursday evening:
(Click here for the rest of the album)
The only other remotely astronomical activity I did this week involved a short trip across the Missouri River to Parkville. My dad and I drove over to window shop at the HMS Beagle store. Due to a wrenched back, I had to cut our visit short, but I did purchase a nearly waterproof “Guide to the Stars” star-wheel for Terry to use when he visits the hot tub after midnight. I also picked up a laminated map of the moon, which I left with dad, along with my scope, at his house.
To see what’s up this week, visit Sky & Telescope’s “This Week at a Glance” and for information on observing the five visible planets next month, take a gander at this site.
I got to see the Moon, Jupiter and Venus on Sunday night from St Louis, but alas, my cell phone camera just wasn’t up to the task… 🙂
Have you tried looking for Venus during the day? When the moon is near Venus, one can use it to find Venus. I tried it a few times and was successful. I found Venus was hard to find even when I knew where to look, but once I found it, it was bright enough to spot again easily.
I have tried, but not recently, and I wasn’t successful. Last week, I tried to see Jupiter, once I could see Venus, but only saw it later in the photographs I took.