Belt of Venus and Moon Over Portugal

January 27, 2008

012708

Photographer: Alfredo Balreira
Summary Author: Alfredo Balreira, Jim Foster, Stu Witmer

On the morning of September 28, 2007, I noticed the Belt of Venus stretching across the western sky. From my vantage point through an office window it could be seen extending from the left, above the House of Music concert hall (designed by Rem Koolhaas), behind two construction cranes and out over the rooftops of Porto, Portugal. The nearly full Harvest Moon presided over all.

The Belt of Venus is the pink-capped layer reclining on the Earth's shadow that, in turn, is the dark strip of sky along the horizon. In this case, since it's morning, the shadow is sinking.

Photo details: Pentax Optio S40 camera, 1/40 second, f2.6.