Murmuration, Venus, in day's last light on EarthSky | Today's Image

View larger. | Conor Ledwith Photography captured this flock of starlings - otherwise known as a murmuration - in December 2013. The bright object in the sky is Venus. Visit Conor Ledwith on Facebook.

View larger. | Conor Ledwith Photography captured this flock of starlings on December 13, 2013. The bright object in the sky is the planet Venus. Visit Conor Ledwith on Facebook.

Conor Ledwith Photography posted this photo on EarthSky Facebook, late in the day on December 13. He wrote:

Today’s evening sky with a murmuration of starlings at Galway, Ireland. The planet Venus is peeking out in the last light of day.

Thank you, Conor!

Video: Bird ballet of starlings over Marseille

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.