It was an unusually clear view of the town of Vaals, Netherlands, whose name comes from the fact that it sits in a valley, which is normally full of morning fog, which obscures anything near the horizon. But today, February 13th, there was a clear crisp view of Venus blazing above the town, and even of Mars, just above the horizon (unbelievably clear). The camera was even able to resolve the most prominent stars in Sagitarrius which lie between Venus and Mars. Against the backdrop of the townscape, this made a nicely packaged celestial wonder, which I was excited to be able to share with you all at EarthSky. Thank you for all the great things you offer to all who happen to stumble upon your very useful, informative site.

Olympus sp565uz, using Evening Scene Mode, with f/4.3, 4 sec. open shutter, ISO-400, focal length 32 mm.