beautiful soaking night..

[Bonibelle]

Hey Bill,
If you're not partying tonight, I bet you will be stargazing..It's a perfect night. (other than where I live...we have 50-60mph wind gusts)

January 2009: Both Mercury and its inner-planet sibling, Venus, reach greatest elongation this month. There's no better time to view these two worlds.
The International Year of Astronomy opens with Mercury and Jupiter next to each other in the southwest shortly after sunset. Both Mercury and its inner-planet sibling, Venus, reach greatest elongation this month. There's no better time to view these two worlds. Venus stands far above Mercury, and a waxing crescent Moon accompanies them ­during the year's first week.
(From Astronom.com)

[wmccall]

Should  be a good clear night for the first soak of 2009.   By that time Orion will be high in our southern sky. Supposed to be around 16 at that time tonight.