Objects (star-like) in Eastern Skies? (Portland, ME)

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moviemoose

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Hello everyone. I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify two objects (presumably stars) which I observed in the Eastern skies from Portland, ME at dawn this morning. <br /><br />What made this observation extraordinary was that, aside from the moon, these were the only two stars present in the sky, and they possessed a clarity unlike anything I've ever seen. Both objects seemed extremely bright (though one was significantly brighter than the other) and they also seemed closer than I am accustomed to seeing stars. <br /><br />With regard to their proximity to one another, the closest measurement I can give is that if you held your hand approximately 18 inches from your face and held your thumb and forefinger about three inches apart, that would amount to the space between the stars.<br /><br />If anyone can provide more information, I'd be appreciative. It struck me as odd that these were the only two stars visible to my naked eye, and that they seemed so bright at that early hour (around 5:45am). I was so taken with them that I nearly drove off the road a couple of times (I was on my way to the grocery store in an effort to beat the pre-Superbowl weekend crowd). <br /><br />Thank you!
 
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Swampcat

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The two objects are Jupiter and Venus. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>
 
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Swampcat

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Spectacular Sky Show: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon <br /><br />BTW, welcome to Uplink. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>
 
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