Tag: Moon

Another planetary conjunction

Another planetary conjunction occurred yesterday (31 Aug 2014) with the close placement of Mars, Saturn, and the Moon in the evening sky. It’s only been a few weeks since the planetary conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the morning sky so we’ve had an interesting few weeks for sky watching.

Mars and Saturn were joined by the crescent Moon to form a triangle in the evening sky. Using “The Photographers Ephemeris” I was able to determine that I could get a photograph of the triplet as they hung in the sky above Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. But if only it were that easy. After arriving at my predetermined spot I still had to move around to get a good setup. A bit of travel southward along the Templeton Trail…followed by some climbing up…then down…then back to the north…and finally I get a few minutes where they lined up with the spires of Cathedral Rock. Whew!

Conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and the crescent Moon.
Conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and the crescent Moon.

With that done, I retreated back down to the parking lot before it got too dark and spent another few hours photographing the Milky Way as it lined up with Cathedral Rock.

Milky Way and Cathedral Rock.
Milky Way and Cathedral Rock.

Moon rise behind Cathedral Rock in Sedona: Part II

Here are another set of images of the moon rise behind Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. I had two locations preselected for the shots on this day. The first was located about one and one-half miles west of the rocks so that the moon’s disk would appear larger than the gaps between the rocks. We were on the eastern slopes of Pyramid Peak (the eastern summit of Scheurman Mountain). This setup worked as planned but since it was still early in the evening the sky was too bright and the moon appeared washed out. I did get the result I was seeking, however, which was the moon larger than the opening between the different rock columns.

Moon rise behind Cathedral Rock---1st location.
Moon rise behind Cathedral Rock—1st location.
Moon rise behind Cathedral Rock---2nd location.
Moon rise behind Cathedral Rock—2nd location.

We moved to our second location—closer to Cathedral Rock which was now only one mile away—at the Red Rock Crossing/Crescent Moon picnic area. Many other photographers were assembled here but were scattered over a large area so that it wasn’t hard to secure a good spot for the next series of images. This time, the sky was darker and the moon was perfectly framed between the rock columns. I admit that I did not know, in advance, that it would work out this well. The Photographers Ephemeris can tell you the times and geometry of the setup but it can’t reveal how the size of the moon will compare with the rocks.

Lots of planning—and a little bit of good luck.

Moon Rise Behind Cathedral Rock in Sedona

/ 2 Comments

It’s spring and this is the time of the year when the moon rise behind the sunset-lit spires of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona, can be breathtaking.

Two years ago, I took a 1-day workshop from Southwest Perspectives called “Sedona Full Moon Hunt.” We were taught not just how to use the camera for capturing the image but, more importantly, how to know when and where to position ourselves for these types of images.

There are several applications available for smart phones, tablets, and computers that provide this information. My program of choice is The Photographer’s Ephemeris. With this information in hand, one can position themselves in the right spot and wait for the moon to rise. The waiting part, however, can be tough as you wonder if you are in the “right” place. It’s a moment of relief, then, when the moon rises right where you expected it in the gap.

Moonrise behind Cathedral Rock.
Moonrise behind Cathedral Rock.

As the calendar marches forward into spring and early summer the location of the moon moves south relative to the rocks; it then moves north in the cooler season. It’s during the warmer months that it lines up best with the gaps between the spires.

Moonrise behind Cathedral Rock.
Moonrise behind Cathedral Rock.

If you get too close to the rocks the moon will appear small compared to the spires. Get farther away and the relative size of the moon appears much larger in comparison. But it’s never that easy. Some shooting locations are effortless to get to— drive, park, set up, done. Others require a bit of walking or hiking.

Getting in the right place is at least part of the enjoyment of capturing these images.

Harding Springs, Fall Colors, and the Full Moon

Continuing with the thread in the previous post we have more images of fall colors in the Oak Creek Canyon area. This time, we explored a small side canyon known as Harding Springs. Although there is a trail, we chose to walk up the dry wash since the best colors were on trees in and near the stream bed. And we actually found a small trickle of water in a single location.

Fall colors in Harding Springs.
Fall colors in Harding Springs.
A thin trickle of water in Harding Springs.
A thin trickle of water in Harding Springs.

Later that day we hiked to the top of a rock formation known as Napoleons Tomb in Sedona so that we could watch the (nearly) full moon rise in the gap of Cathedral Rock. To make the image even better, hikers fortuitously positioned themselves in front of the moon. I wish I could say that I orchestrated this but it was just chance!

Moon rise above Cathedral Rock.
Moon rise above Cathedral Rock.

Jupiter, Venus, Moon, and Comet PanSTARRS in the night sky

/ 2 Comments

The evening of 11 May 2013 presented an assortment of visual treats in the night sky. In the evening twilight the planets Venus and Jupiter clustered around the thin crescent of the moon. With one planet above and one below it was a delightful sight.

Details: ISO 200; f/2.8; 28mm; 1/8 second.

Moon, Jupiter, and Venus in the evening twilight.
Moon, Jupiter, and Venus in the evening twilight.

As the sky darkened it was possible to photograph the fading Comet C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS, located near the constellation Cepheus. The combination of several short exposures stacked together allowed the faint glow of the comet to appear. This was photographed using a fixed tripod and an 85mm/f1.8 lens. No telescope required.

Details: ISO 1600; f/1.8; 85mm; 10x4s.

A distant and fading Comet PanSTARRS.
A distant and fading Comet PanSTARRS.

As twilight faded the celestial objects sank lower in the sky until Venus set behind the distant hills. As the moon began to follow, the dark sky allowed the zodiacal light to shine upwards providing illumination around the planet Jupiter.

Details: ISO 3200; f/2.8; 28mm; 8 seconds.

Jupiter, Moon, and zodiacal light.
Jupiter, Moon, and zodiacal light.

The planets Jupiter and Venus will draw closer together over the coming weeks and this should present many great photographic opportunities.