Venus at the beach on Nov. 19th. There are no Venus shadows in this particular photo, only reflections. Credit: Pete Lawrence.

Amateur astronomer Pete Lawrence of Selsey, UK, photographed the elusive shadow of Venus just two weeks ago. It was a quest that began in the 1960s:

“When I was a young boy,” recalls Lawrence, “I read a book written by Sir Patrick Moore in which he mentioned the fact that there were only three bodies in the sky capable of casting a shadow on Earth. The sun and moon are pretty obvious, but it was the third that fascinated me — Venus.”

If you’d like to try, this is the week. Your attempt must come before Dec. 3rd. After that, the crescent moon will join Venus in the evening sky, and any shadows you see then will be moon shadows.

If you’re in northern NM, it’s perfect atop northern Rowe Mesa. No city light in the sky.