Tag: Venus

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

A few weeks ago I shot photographs of the crescent phase of Venus (~11% illuminated) in the southwestern twilight sky. I then decided to also get photographs of the crescent Moon (~32% illuminated) and the planet Jupiter. These were in different parts of the sky and not all visible in the same photograph. I composited them into this image which shows the relative sizes of the three bodies. All images were shot using a 500mm telephoto lens.

Composite image of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.
Composite image of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.

Below is a screen shot from Stellarium showing the actual positions of Jupiter, the Moon, and Venus.

Screen shot from Stellarium showing the actual positions of Jupiter, the Moon, and Venus.
Screen shot from Stellarium showing the actual positions of Jupiter, the Moon, and Venus.

Four Planets in the Evening Sky

For a brief period between sunset and astronomical twilight there were several planets visible in the evening sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were all easily seen with the unaided eye. With a few seconds exposure, cameras easily resolved Uranus. Missing was Saturn which was so low in the sky that it was overpowered by the bright glare of early twilight.

Four planets (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus) plus the crescent Moon during evening twilight.
Four planets (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus) plus the crescent Moon during evening twilight.
A zoomed-in crop to better show Uranus.
A zoomed-in crop to better show Uranus.

Here is an image with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus, plus the Moon. Mars was too far to the east to be included even with this wide-angle lens. Also included is a zoomed-in crop of the original image to clearly show Uranus.

Multiple planets visible in the sky simultaneously is not a rare event. Rather, it happens on a regular basis. Here are links to other events that have been posted on this site.

Three Planets and the Moon

A few days ago the waxing crescent Moon joined the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars in the evening sky. A few clouds and the reflection of the evening sky in the lake added a bit of color to the scene.

Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the Moon in the evening sky.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the Moon in the evening sky.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the Moon in the evening sky (with labels).
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the Moon in the evening sky (with labels).
Screen capture from Stellarium.app showing the positions of the planets and Moon in the evening sky.
Screen capture from Stellarium.app showing the positions of the planets and Moon in the evening sky.

Afterwards, I stayed around to watch the rocket launch described in the previous post.

Venus and Mercury in the Evening Sky

Venus and the Pleiades star cluster are prominent in the center of the image while Mercury is about to set in the low gap. The zodiacal light is also faintly visible.

Upper Lake Mary, Flagstaff, Arizona; 10 April 2023.

Venus, Mercury, Pleiades, and Zodiacal light all reflected in Lake Mary.
Venus, Mercury, Pleiades, and Zodiacal light all reflected in Lake Mary.

Next week the crescent Moon will join the group.

Objects in the Evening Sky––March 2023

There have been multiple opportunities to photograph planets and other objects in the evening sky during the month of March. Previously I posted photos of four planets and an asteroid in the western sky during twilight using a 24mm wide angle lens.

Orion Nebula (M42).
Orion Nebula (M42).

I tried to capture the four planets again later in the month but was foiled by the bright twilight making it difficult to see the planets that were close to the horizon. So I shifted my strategy and chose to capture just two planets–Venus and Uranus–that were close to each other and high enough above the horizon to not be troubled by twilight. These images were shot with my Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E lens.

Venus and Uranus in the evening sky (28 March 2023).
Venus and Uranus in the evening sky (28 March 2023).

I then turned the camera on the Orion Nebula (M42) to see how well this lens would work on long exposures. The results weren’t too bad–but not great. It will take some practice on my part to get sharp focus and reduce shake and vibration on the tripod and star tracker.