Venus-Moon twilight show in Vegas

We all had a fairly leisurely morning and as soon as I saw the sun climbing higher I went outside to read my book as I knew that plans were afoot to go up to the ski slopes at noon. It was just as well as by that time I was beginning to feel sunburnt, it was so warm!

We had some delicious left overs with which to make a picnic lunch and we set off for the snow on time - together with about all of Vegas it seemed. The lower slopes were dotted with folk having fun sledging, building snowmen and just chilling. The roads were the busiest I have seen during my entire holiday out here. We made it up to the ski area and while my son and daughter-in-law donned all their skiing gear, I set off with a very excited Kymba for another snowy hike. It was much colder this time as there was no cloud cover and soon after I started the trail the sun chose to disappear behind a mountain ridge! The snow was still deep and I again sank up to my knees a few times when I misjudged where the path was. However Kymba was able to flounce about much easier this time as the snow was denser, presumably as it was colder. Anyway we both had a wonderful time.

We left about 4pm as it was really cold by then and as we made our way down the mountain we saw the desert hills coming into view, looking a delightful pink as they caught the rays of the sinking sun. I took a couple of cactus photos against the backdrop of these hills and was going to use one for my blip - until I got home that is. At the end of the mountain road my son retrieved his car and left us to make his way for a session at the gym, en route to his next shift at work.

Once home I noticed that the view from the garden (yard) was stunning. The sun had gone down leaving a subtle glow in the sky, pushing the mountain range into silhouette. I retrieved my camera from amongst the debris of the afternoon and went outside, where it was still warm. It was only then that I noticed the sliver of the waxing moon and Venus shining above, and almost together. I'm not sure if this is completely in focus as I was using my trusty point and shoot, hand held, but I love the captured image and I hope you do too. The show only lasted for a short while - they gradually descended as darkness fell and then were gone.

I have just Googled the venus-moon proximity we witnessed tonight and was really interested to also read this:-

Look for the beautiful phenomenon known as "earthshine" - sunlight reflected by the Earth, directed toward the moon and dimly illuminating its dark portion with a faint grey-blue glow. That effect will impart an almost three-dimensional appearance to the moon and will enhance the overall scene.

If you look at my blip in LARGE then you can indeed see the "earthshine". I think the show may be repeated tomorrow night but by then Venus may be seen directly below the moon but not so brightly.