[extropy-chat] big bright light in the northwest

[Reason]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Spike [mailto:spike66 at comcast.net]
> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 9:50 PM
> To: reason at longevitymeme.org; 'ExI chat list'
> Subject: RE: [extropy-chat] big bright light in the northwest
>
> > Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what that big bright,
> > brighter-than-planets star in the northwest is? Visible in
> > California right
> > now (21:30PST). I just saw it on the way back home tonight,
> > and various
> > folks in Texas claim to be able to see it also.
>
> Venus, Reason.  Takes a lotta people by surprise when it
> is near peak brightness, as it is now.  Watch in a about a
> week, go out before the moon rises.  If you can get to a
> place where there are no city lights nearby, you might
> be able to catch a really cool phenom that I have only
> seen twice myself: Venusian shadows.
>
> Venus is essentially a point source of light, so the shadows
> it creates have a surreal sharp edged quality.  The half degree
> diameter of a full moon creates fuzzy edged shadows that are
> merely surfake or surimaginary.

Well I think that adequately demonstrates that it's been many many years
since I did anything with astronomy (as opposed to the not-watching-the-sky
parts of astrophysics that always seemed more fun and less cold).

Reason
Founder, Longevity Meme