Night Sky Photography -- 05-02-2023 -- Venus, Mars & The Moon With Four Asterisms

Good evening, fellow stargazers!

This evening I have some really good shots of two of our closest planetary neighbors, Venus and Mars; along our lovely Waxing Gibbous Moon, with four distinct astronomical asterisms in the same evening sky after sunset.

My first photo was taken an hour after sunset looking to the western sky where the winter constellations are starting to move lower and lower in the night sky dome. You can see the bright planet, Venus, quite clearly in the evening sky close to the Constellation Taurus The Bull.

The faint red-colored Mars is also visible just inside the Constellation Gemini The Twins just beneath the two brightest stars: Pollux and Castor. Both planets are currently visible near the Winter Triangle asterism -- the three stars: Betelgeuse (Constellation Orion The Hunter), Sirius (Constellation Canis Major "The Greater Dog") and Procyon (Constellation Canis Minor "The Lesser Dog"). Find the Winter Triangle, and you'll find the two planets for the next month at least until Mars moves higher into the sky by the end of May and into June. Venus will also move higher and appear beneath the "twin stars" just about where Mars appears now in the photo by Wednesday, May 24th.

In my next photo I captured a wonderful close-up of our lovely Luna in her Waxing Gibbous phase higher in the sky near the eastern sky just days away from becoming the Full Flower Moon -- the name given to the May Full Moon in North America -- on Friday, May 5th.

 

 

Luna currently sits just inside the larger Spring Triangle asterism, but just outside of the smaller unilateral Spring Triangle and the Great Diamond of Virgo asterisms, which are currently rising higher in the night sky as we well into spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.

As y'all can see in my next two photos the borders of both versions of the Spring Triangle are highlighted near the Moon. The smaller, more unilateral Triangle consists of the stars: Arcturus (Constellation Bootes The Herdsman), Spica (Constellation Virgo The Maiden), and Denebola (Constellation Leo The Lion). The larger Triangle includes Arcturus and Spica with the bright star Regulus, the "Heart of the Lion".

I couldn't quite capture Spica in frame with the larger Spring Triangle, although I captured it perfectly in the first photo showing the unilateral Spring Triangle and highlighted its location along with the other stars and Luna in both photos.

 

My final photo shows the four stars of the Great Diamond of Virgo with the Moon just outside of its boundaries. The Great Diamond consists of the three stars of the unilateral Spring Triangle, with the fourth star, Cor Caroli (Constellation Canes Venatichi "The Hunting Dogs") making up the fourth point in the Diamond. 

 

I hope that y'all enjoyed my night sky and planetary photography for the evening. Until the next time, have a good evening and be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies, y'all hear.

Night Sky Photography -- 02-31-2023 -- The Moon & Mars Inside The Winter Circle

Good evening, fellow stargazers!

For my last night sky offering for this month, I was able to capture a good shot of our planetary neighbor, Mars, with the Waxing Gibbous Moon inside the Winter Circle (or Winter Hexagon) asterism late in the evening as they began to set towards the west. I was unable to capture all of the stars of the Winter Circle because the bright, blue-white supergiant star, Rigel, in the Constellation Orion The Hunter, was already past the tree line and setting in the west; but I was able to get all the rest of the stars perfectly.

At present, Mars is fading in its brightness daily as it our Earth moves farther away from it in our closer orbit of the Sun. Soon the Red Planet will blend in with the other 1st-magnitude stars in the night sky. Mars will remain inside the Winter Circle for some time.

Our lovely Moon however, will continue to glow in brightness and continue its Waxing Gibbous phase until it becomes the Full Worm Moon (March Full Moon in the Northern Hemisphere) on Tuesday, March 7th. The Moon will also remain inside the Winter Circle for two more days, traveling higher until it meets with the star, Pollux in the Constellation Gemini The Twins on Thursday, March 2nd.

Night Sky Photography -- 05-01-2020 -- Constellation Leo The Lion & Waxing Gibbous Moon

Good evening, fellow stargazers!

This evening our lovely Luna in her Waxing Gibbous phase can be spotted near the bright star Regulus -- the heart of the Constellation Leo The Lion. I was able to get these wonderful shots of all the major stars, as well as a beautiful close up of the waxing gibbous moon. 

I hope y'all enjoyed these photos. Be sure to look towards the western sky in the early evenings for bright Venus as May will be the planet Venus’ last full month in the western twilight sky for the year 2020. We’ll all be able to watch it sink closer to the western horizon day by day, finally disappearing in the sunset glare. On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Venus will swing between the Earth and sun in its orbit, reaching the point called inferior conjunction by astronomers. Afterwards it’ll transition over to the eastern sky before sunup. 

Y'all have a good night, and keep your eyes to the night skies. 

Night Sky Photography -- 03-10-2017 -- Waxing Gibbous Moon Over Chester City Hall

I was able to get two very clear and beautiful shots of the waxing gibbous moon rising over Chester City Hall from the rear parking lot of the Chester County Library on Center Street facing due east.

The shots were taken just after five o'clock in the afternoon, but I didn't get an accurate time for the photos, so I won't label them. Still it was a good thing I had my new camera with me at the time. 

Night Sky Photography - 10-09-2016 - Luna & Mars

Luna and Mars together in the southern sky after sunset on Sunday night. I managed to get a really outstanding shot through the branches of the trees. 

 

Luna is just past its first quarter phase. It is now a waxing gibbous moon, which means the moon’s disk is more than 50% illuminated by sunshine, but less than 50% engulfed in the moon’s own shadow.

 

 

I hope to get a really good shot of October's Full Moon - Hunter's Moon - this coming Friday evening during the 2016 South Carolina State Fair in Columbia, weather permitting.

Night Sky Photography - 08-12-2016 - The Waxing Gibbous Moon & Planetary Triangle!

This evening I was able to get a shot of the waxing gibbous moon (Luna) with the planets Saturn and Mars with the bright star Antares completing the trinity in an amazing triangle. 

I took the photo in a field near my house. Unfortunately I was unable to get a good background shot of any trees for scale. 

I'm going to return later after midnight to try and get at least one good shot of the Perseid Meteor Shower, though I don't hold out any real hope with the crappy camera I have. Still you never know till you try.

Wish me luck.

UPDATE! 08-13-2016

As expected I was unable to get any good shots of the meteor shower. Sorry folks! I swear I am going to get a faster camera at some point.

Night Sky Photography - 06/18/2016 - Luna, Saturn & Mars

As we near the summer solstice the waxing gibbous moon overhead has two travelers close by in the southern sky. Saturn can be seen close to Luna's brightness, while Mars is further west.

I took the photo at exactly 11 PM EST when the three heavenly bodies were high overhead.