What a rich week it's been for skywatchers. We were very fortunate to have clear to partly cloudy skies in the region to see both the stunning Jupiter-Venus conjunction and the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the moon compromised the shower, the meteors that pushed through were bright and fast. If you went out to watch and didn't see any, take heart. Next year's Perseids will blaze in their full glory with no moon to mar the view.

On the other hand, moonlight actually improved the view of Jupiter and Venus. Its soft light illuminated the landscape so we could see and photograph the cozy pair in a scenic setting. Observers who got up at dawn each morning were treated to a series of constantly changing arrangements of the two brightest planets caused both by their orbital motion arou

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