Planets over Perth
A bright trio of
terrestrial planets
was joined by a young Moon on September 1st,
in planet Earth's early evening skies.
In this view of the celestial gathering
from Perth,
Western Australia, the Moon's sunlit crescent is
nearly horizontal at Perth's southern latitude of about
32 degrees.
Venus, then
Mercury, and finally
Mars shine above
colorful city lights on the far shore of the Swan River.
The six unlit towers on the left surround a large
cricket stadium.
For now,
the planetary trio still lingers low in the west
just after sunset.
But in the coming days Venus will move farther from the Sun,
climbing higher after sunset,
while Mercury and Mars will steadily sink into the
glare along the western
horizon.