Good Morning Venus

Looking east this morning, before the sky began to brighten, was the loveliest sight with Venus sitting below and to the left of the crescent Moon.

I took this shot 22 minutes later.

Happy Winter Solstice 🙂

At 6:00 am this morning it was still pitch black outside.  The Sun finally appeared at 6:36 am and, later on, it will slip below the horizon at 5:03 pm.  It’s the shortest day of the year here in the southern hemisphere, and I think it’s funny how this darkness creeps up on you.

From day to day, you hardly noticing the subtle differences, the Sun rising later and later, setting earlier and earlier, then suddenly it hits you and you question why it took you so long to notice it in the first place.

The same can be said for the arrival of our summer solstice.  Little by little, the days lighten earlier and earlier, and before you know it, the Sun is up by 4:44 am.  You desperately wish it wasn’t, that it remained darker for longer (or your region had daylight savings time) so you can have that extra 30 minutes sleep.

And yet, before you know it, the season changes, the Earth turns and tilts, and the early mornings are once again devoid of so much light.

Is it a sign of getting older that time seems to pass by so quickly?

Also in response to the WordPress Photo Challenge – Transient