Night Sky Photography -- Closest Supermoon Of The Year!

On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the closest Full Supermoon to appear in our night sky this year was approximately 222,089 miles (or 357,418 km) from the Earth.

The July full moon is also know as the Full Buck Moon in North America because of this is about the time that male deer's antlers are in full growth according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Tonight's supermoon -- also known as the Full Buck Supermoon -- was the third of four that will appear in the night sky throughout the summer months this year.

The following are the photos I took of the Full Buck Supermoon.

The first one is the close up of the Full Supermoon with all the features of the Man On The Moon clearly visible to the naked eye. In the second photo you can see that the moon does not appear closer on visual inspection.

The moonlight in the somewhat cloudy sky -- it had been raining earlier and I was worried I wouldn't be able to take a proper photo -- does reflect the light beautifully in almost a rainbow colored pattern. Nearby is the bright star, Altair, the brightest star in the Constellation Aquila the Eagle and the twelfth-brightest star in our night sky.

Night Sky Photography -- 12-24-2021 -- Planets With Comet Leonard In Southwestern Sky On Christmas Day!

Good Evening & Merry Christmas 2021, Y'all!

This evening, following the traditional family gathering, I journeyed out to the nearby baseball field to capture a Christmas Day photo of the three planets, Venus, Saturn, & Jupiter lined up in the southwestern evening sky an hour after sunset.

In addition to the planets, and the bright stars Fomalhaut and Altair, I was just barely able to capture the nearby nucleus of the Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) just above the horizon.

Comet Leonard last passed by our planet about 80,000 years ago and made its closest approach to Earth on Sunday, December 12, when it came within 21 million miles.

The comet was discovered on January 3rd of this year by astronomer Gregory J. Leonard of the Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. The comet will disappear forever as it travels even further into space after it passes by Earth and leaves our Solar System traveling at approximately 158,084 miles per hour -- or more than half the distance between our Earth and the Moon (238,900 miles).

If y'all would like to witness this once in a lifetime celestial event for yourself, then you're in luck. Comet Leonard will appear in the night sky in both hemispheres until the end of December. However, the comet's nucleus is not visible to the naked eye without the aid of a telescope, binoculars, or camera lens.

As you can see in the photo, I was barely able to capture the nucleus as it appears very light blue against the dusk. I could not capture the comet's tail properly with the lens I had unfortunately. All the same, I'm proud that I was able to get this shot for y'all.

I hope y'all enjoyed this evening's night sky offering, my little Christmas present for y'all. Have a wonderful Holiday Season and be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies, y'all hear!

Night Sky Photography -- 07-22-2019 -- The Summer Triangle & Constellations

Greetings fellow stargazers!

Late last night I managed to get two good shots of a well-known group of three bright first magnitude stars that make up one of the more well-known sights in the southern sky in the Northern Hemisphere, and their constellations. 

The Summer Triangle itself is not a constellation, but a large asterism, or group of stars, consisting of three bright stars: Vega, Deneb and Altair. Each of these stars in turn are part of three separate constellations: Cygnus, Aguila, and Lyra. 

Since they were right overhead, I was unable to get any significant foreground images aside from a couple of power lines that are barely visible in the photos. All the same I was able to just barely capture all of the stars in the constellations, which I outlined in the second photo.

 
Here are some interesting facts about the three main stars in the summer triangle. 

Altair is only 16.8 light-years away from Earth, making it one of our nearer stellar neighbors. 

Vega, at only 25 light-years away and the 5th brightest star in the night sky -- the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus. 

Deneb is the 19th brightest star in the night sky and a part of another group of stars -- the Northern Cross. The little star, Albireo, appears at the head of the Cygnus the Swan, and serves as the base of the Northern Cross.

The summer triangle and three constellations are best seen in the night sky around June, and the Milky Way runs through the triangle, though it is best to be way out in the country away from town and city lights to get a good shot of that. 

Well folks I hope y'all enjoyed my photos. Be sure to leave a comment below and have a wonderful Dixie evening, and be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies, y'all!