The bright object near Friday evening's moon is Jupiter. Meanwhile, nearby Venus swings to its greatest apparent distance from the sun on our sky's dome.
Yesterday we posted photos of sunsets affected by smoke from California wildfires. This animation, made from satellite data, shows carbon monoxide from the state's massive wildfires drifting eastward all the way across the U.S.
Venus and Jupiter are easy after sunset. They're the 2 brightest "stars" in the western half of the sky (the half where the sun set). From the Northern Hemisphere, look shortly after sunset for Venus. It'll quickly follow the sun below the western horizon.
Photographer Nicholas Isabella said: "I have waited years to capture a severe thunderstorm and the Milky Way in the same frame. Sunday night I accomplished my goal in Arizona."
