I´m just back from a trip to Iran. I went to Abyaneh, Iran, 1800 meter above sea level and I had a great night skies there with a visual limiting magnitude of 6.3! After a beautiful night I waited for Venus rise. Also visible in the image is Taurus, a part of Orion, the Plejades as well as a hint of zodiacal light. Date: July, 25th, 2006 Time: 0:25 UT Location: Abyaneh, Iran Camera: Canon EOS 5D @ ISO 1250 Lens: Canon EF 35mm / 1.4 @ 1.4 Exposure time: 15 seconds Filter: Soft filter to conserve the star colors Tracking: No (photo tripod) Best regards, Stefan Seip http://www.astromeeting.de