This is a dawn scene with three of the inner solar system’s rocky or “terrestrial” worlds in one image — four if you count the Earth as well! In this version I have labelled the objects.
This is a panorama of the waning crescent Moon above the two inner planets, Mercury and Venus, shining here as morning “stars” in the pre-dawn sky, Nov. 12, 2020. Mercury is lowest near the horizon and brighter Venus is higher, below the Moon. Mercury was two days past its greatest western elongation, placing it about as high as it gets and in a favourable elongation on an autumn morning, with the ecliptic angled up as high as it gets for the year in the dawn sky. Favourable evening elongations of Mercury in the western sky occur in spring. All the worlds were in Virgo, not to imply any astrological significance!
The star Spica is between and to the right of the planets. At far right is the distinctive quadrilateral figure of the constellation of Corvus the crow just rising in the southeast.
This is a panorama of 2 segments, each 10 seconds with the Sigma 50mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 200. I blended in a shorter 2-second exposure for the Moon to prevent its disk from being too overexposed and to show the Earthshine. Stitched in Adobe Camera Raw. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar 4 to soften the image and brighten the colours.
