July 17, 2020: Venus and the moon make picturesque scene before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
More about the planets on July 17
Artists and photographers are attracted to the best grouping of the moon and this appearance of Venus on July 17, 2020. About an hour before sunrise, the crescent moon is low in the east-northeast. Brilliant Venus appears 3.2° to the right of the lunar crescent. Then Venus is 3.2° to the lower left of the star Aldebaran.
The head of Taurus is marked by a sideways “V” that is made of the Hyades star cluster and Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above Taurus’ head.
A camera with adjustable exposures captures the crescent moon, Venus, and the stars. Depending on the camera, make exposures in a series of images from about one-tenth of a second to about 2 seconds. Longer exposures bring out more stars and more of the approaching twilight. As the exposure increases, the brightness of the night portion of the moon, that is gently illuminated by reflected sunlight from our planet’s clouds, oceans, and ground known as “earthshine,” increases on the photo.
Let us know what you see in the comments below.
For more about the planets see this article about where to find them during July.