Moon and Three Planets

In the morning of June 21st, 2009 before the summer solstice sun rises above the Sandras Mountain in Turkey, the TWAN photographer captured this scene of the crescent Moon and three planets over the eastern horizon. Venus (the brighter) and Mars are coupled higher in the sky along the ecliptic. The Pleiades star cluster is still visible at upper right of the Moon while planet Mercury is very close to the horizon and barely visible below the Moon in the morning light. Mount Sandras lies about 120 km south of Denizli,close to the small town of Beyagac. The mountain rises 2294 meters above sea level. Tunc Tezel