Category: Astronomy

Venus Transit of the the Sun

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The transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on 05-06 June 2012 UTC was an amazing sight. Even more amazing is the rarity of this event. Transits of Venus occur in pairs approximately eight years apart then not repeated again for over one hundred years. Since this was the second transit of the pair the next will not occur until the year 2117. So, if you wanted to see a transit, this was your last best chance!

NASA has compiled some stunning video and images of the transit. The SpaceWeather site also has information and a user gallery of images.

Venus transiting the sun at 1523 MST (2223 UTC). The full disk of the planet is visible at this time.
Venus transiting the sun at 1523 MST (2223 UTC). The full disk of the planet is visible at this time.

I was able to capture several images of the transit including first contact at ~2206 UTC and when the full disk first became completely visible in front of the sun.

Venus transiting the sun as the sun sets behind the low mountains west of Flagstaff. Image shot using a ND3 filter.
Venus transiting the sun as the sun sets behind the low mountains west of Flagstaff. Image shot using a ND3 filter.

As the sun began to set behind the mountains west of Flagstaff I was able to capture this image with the lower portion of the sun already behind the trees.

Composite image of (1) filtered image of the sun and Venus in transit and (2) the darkening sky a few minutes after sunset.
Composite image of (1) filtered image of the sun and Venus in transit and (2) the darkening sky a few minutes after sunset.

This image is a composite of a filtered image of the sun followed a few minutes later by a standard exposure showing the colors in the evening sky as well as numerous birds.

(Edit: Fixed typo in year of next transit.)

Historic flight of the SpaceX/Dragon to the International Space Station

History was made in May when the unmanned spacecraft Dragon, perched atop the Falcon 9, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center by the Space Exploration (SpaceX) company. This was the first privately-built spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).

The original launch was delayed by a few days when at the last second (literally, at the last half second!) the onboard computers automatically shut everything down.

Once successfully launched Dragon then began the process of matching orbits with the ISS in preparation for docking with the station. It would undergo a series of tests to make certain that the commands were correctly executed before being allowed to dock.

As the pair of spacecraft flew overhead in the early morning of 24 May, I was able to capture a series of photographs that showed the very bright ISS close to the very dim Dragon. As I was capturing the images, however, I wondered where the Dragon was — as I was unable to see it. Only after loading the images onto the computer and zooming in was I able to see the two spacecraft.

ISS and SpaceX/Dragon as they fly in tandem across the early morning sky in northern Arizona.
ISS and SpaceX/Dragon as they fly in tandem across the early morning sky in northern Arizona.
ISS and SpaceX/Dragon as they fly in tandem across the early morning sky in northern Arizona.
ISS and SpaceX/Dragon as they fly in tandem across the early morning sky in northern Arizona.

The first image is a composite of three images each of 15 seconds duration. If you look very carefully you can see the dim track of Dragon just a few pixels below the bright track of ISS. The second image is a single, cropped image zoomed to 200% that does a  better job of showing the two spacecraft as they flew together.

At this time, the Dragon was likely undergoing its command tests and was only a few miles from the larger ISS.

On May 31, SpaceX/Dragon successfully splashed down into the Pacific Ocean where it was recovered by ships and taken to port.

This flight was a historic moment for the true beginning of commercial spaceflight and I feel lucky to have been able to capture a sequence of photographs as it underwent its first space test.

Annular eclipse over the Grand Canyon

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Did you see it? There was an annular eclipse of the sun across the southwest today (20 May 2012). An annular eclipse occurs when the moon’s apparent diameter is just a bit smaller than that of the sun leaving a brilliant ring of fire.

The weather was magnificent with cloudless skies, warm temperatures, and light winds. The first two are common around here in the spring; the latter — not so much.

Although the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park was not on the center line it was close enough. Radio announcements all weekend indicated that there would be telescopes and free viewing/safety glasses for the public at Grand Canyon NP as well as other parks in the area. It was sure to be crowded and by early afternoon the Park Service was closing roads to some of the most congested viewpoints.

I ended up at Navajo Viewpoint and it eventually filled with many visitors and eclipse viewers. Telescopes and cameras were all lined up near the edge (but not TOO near the edge) of the Grand Canyon. Then we waited — and were rewarded with a spectacular show.

Composite image of the annular eclipse seen over Grand Canyon National Park.
Composite image of the annular eclipse seen over Grand Canyon National Park.

This is a composite of images taken using a 50-mm lens between 1723 and 1929 MST at 3-minute intervals. The background image was taken a few minutes after sunset and shows some of the smoke near the horizon from the many wildfires burning in the southwest.

The setting sun -- stil in partial eclipse -- as it dips behind the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
The setting sun — still in partial eclipse — as it dips behind the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

The middle image (600 mm focal length) captures the setting sun as it dips behind a tree-topped mesa on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Cameras and telescopes line the edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon awaiting the annular eclipse.
Cameras and telescopes line the edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon awaiting the annular eclipse.

The bottom image shows some of the cameras and telescopes lined up along the edge of the canyon.

Next: transit of Venus across the face of the sun on 05 June 2012.

Edit: fixed typos.

Moon setting over Cathedral Rock in Sedona

Even though it was full almost two days ago the waning gibbous “Supermoon” (Wikipedia; NASA) was still 98% illuminated this morning. I used “The Photographers Ephemeris” to find the perfect location — as well as a backup site — to get this sequence of images. Good thing, too, since my prime location was gated and locked!

Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0554 MST 07 May 2012)
Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0554 MST 07 May 2012). First light is just touching the top of the rock.
Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0604 MST 07 May 2012)
Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0604 MST 07 May 2012). The rock is now fully illuminated by the rising sun.
Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. (0611 MST 07 May 2012)
Moon over Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona (0611 MST 07 May 2012).

The first image shows the moon above Cathedral Rock (0554 MST) in Sedona, Arizona. It then slides down and to the right appearing again in the V-shaped notch (0604 MST) and then finally in the lowest portion of the gap (0611 MST). The sky was brightening rapidly so that in the final image the moon is almost overwhelmed by the sky.

Afterwards we hiked up the trail to the saddle in Cathedral Rock — where the moon had set less than an hour earlier.

Bright objects in the night sky — Part V

I expect that this will be my last chance to photograph the Moon with Venus and Jupiter before they move away from each other. The two planets are drawing away from each other each day from their closest point on March 12 and 13.

The Moon and planet Venus as seen in the middle of the afternoon.
The Moon and planet Venus as seen in the middle of the afternoon.

Venus has been bright enough to be visible in the sky during the day IF you know where to look. That’s not easy. But today the crescent moon — which IS easy to see — was very close to Venus. So, find the Moon and find Venus. This image was taken mid afternoon on a beautiful early spring day in northern Arizona.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands...with ducks.
The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands…with ducks.

After sunset the triangle of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars put on quite a show over the reflective waters of the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff, Arizona. The ducks had just recently alighted on the waters for the evening and their trails through the water are easily visible.

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands.
The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter in the twilight sky over the Kachina Wetlands.

And as the sky darkened the triplet shone even more brightly above the now quiet water.