Planet Venus was brilliant last night as it hung just below the crescent moon.  You could briefly seen this jeweled pairing in the early evening sky as New Year’s Eve drew to a close.  If you had a clear horizon right after sunset, you might have seen Jupiter shining brightly right next to Mercury, much smaller and dimmer, but those planets were side by side last night too.  More info at earthsky.org/skywatching
A really beautiful celestial show to ring in the New Year.  Happy 2009, and Thanks for reading this blog!
Mike @ ThisCrazyCosmos