sun pillars and other treats of the sky

We saw a sun pillar last night.  A sun pillar is like the opposite of seeing the sun set over the sea.  Instead of a shimmering golden reflection extending downward/forward in the water, a sun pillar is produced from the reflection of crystals in the air high in the sky, which make a golden reflection extending upward in the sky:

Above the sun pillar, we saw a dazzling Venus and the moon, about 10 degrees apart.  You can check your eyesight, because if you can discern that Venus is in crescent phase, you have exceptional eyesight.  And I wanted to check that out, because to me last night Venus looked peculiarly horny.  I will check it out again though to see if I was just wishfully thinking.  Venus looks so bright in crescent phase because it is getting so much closer to us.  Its apparent size in the sky is at least twice in diameter at its closest in comparison when it is furthest away.  And all this Venus talk is exciting, for we are gearing up toward the last Venus transit of this century (coming to us in June).  And yes, a Venus transit happened 8 years ago, but that's how they roll.  Eight years apart every 105 years.

Click for more Venus Transit pics.

And finally, more birds.  Months ago I observed a strange new bird.  After searching for something that would appear like a dragon tail, I gave up my search, deciding that I must have perceived something that I didn't really perceive.  But now I am considering that mystery solved, when Bonnie told me about her discovery of the Texas bird of paradise also known as a scissor-tailed flycatcher.

I believe this is the bird I saw.  In flight and other times the bird does more splendid things with its tail feathers.  It is not that uncommon in these parts, but uncommon enough to not see them very often.  Another bird mystery solved thanks to my dear spouse.