At 6:40 P.M. I left my house and proceeded to drive three miles to Manasota Beach. The sky was completely clear except for a dark cloudy haze that covered the sunset. While I was hoping to see the sunset, my priority was seeing Mercury and Venus in the southwestern horizon. To pass the time I decided to skip shells on the waves in a manner similar to the way x-rays are focused using paraboloid/ hyperboloid surfaces in a telescope. I found that a smaller incident angle would produce more shell skips. By applying this method I managed to reach a record of four shell skips that evening.. At ten minutes past seven I could see Venus through the cloud coverage. Unfortunately, Mercury did not shine as bright and I could not see it with the naked eye. I stayed on the beach till 7:20 and then decided to head home.
After finishing my homework for the night I went outside for one last look at the sky at around 8 P.M. Initially I could hardy make out any constellations; however, twenty minutes passed and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Directly overhead the Summer Triangle and its respective constellations were visible. Due east in the sky I saw the square of Pegasus hanging upside down.
Additionally, the moon was waxing crescent, but tomorrow it will be First Quarter.
Total observed time = 1 hour
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