Night Sky Photography -- 01-12-2022 -- The Moon, Pleiades, & Hyades Star Clusters

Good evening, y'all!

Well, my first night sky photographic offering of 2022 are ones I think y'all will thoroughly enjoy. They involve two beautiful star clusters: the Pleiades and the Hyades.

This evening several hours after sunset the Waxing Gibbous Moon could be seen with the faint Pleiades Star Cluster in the night sky.

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) could be seen just outside of Luna's glare. I took one photo using the trunk of a tree to block out the Moon's glare and get what turned out to be a really beautiful shot of all of the major stars in the star cluster. The Pleiades are about 444 light-years away from our Sun.

My second photo is a wide shot with the tree in the foreground of the moon and Pleiades with three of the major stars of the Winter Hexagon asterism: Aldebaran, Rigel, and bright Sirius just visible in the corner of the photograph. Rigel, along with the stars Betelgeuse and Bellatrix are the three brightest in that order that make up the Constellation Orion The Hunter outlined in the photo.

The second star cluster visible with Luna in the night sky tonight is the V-shaped Hyades cluster, which makes up the "head" of the Constellation Taurus The Bull. The brightest star is Aldebaran: the Eye of the Bull. This cluster is easy to locate using the Orion's Belt asterism as a line to Aldebaran.

Although not a true member of the Hyades star cluster, the bright reddish star is a great guide to this cluster. Aldebaran is only about 65 light-years distant. The Hyades themselves are about 153 light-years distant, with Aldebaran in the light of sight between the cluster and our Sun.

In the Northern Hemisphere, both the Pleiades and the Hyades star clusters are best seen in the evening sky from around January to April. Both star clusters are made up of many more fainter stars that are not visible to the naked eye (especially closer to city lights) but can be seen with the aid of a telescope, binoculars, or a really good camera lens.

And finally, my last offering to start out 2022 is a pretty beautiful shot of our dear Luna in her Waxing Gibbous Phase.

Well folks, I hope y'all enjoyed my offerings for the evening. Tomorrow evening, in the Northern Hemisphere, the moon's path with take it close to Aldebaran. Be sure to check it out -- clear skies permitting, of course.

Until next time have a wonderful evening and be sure to keep your eyes to the night skies, y'all hear!

RIP Betty White (1922 - 2021)

Betty Marion White Ludden (January 17, 1922  - December 31, 2021).

Betty Marion White Ludden was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922. She had an amazing career in movies and television that spanned a whopping 70 years. She passed away in her sleep at her home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, California, on December 31, 2021 at the age of 99 less than three weeks before her 100th birthday.

White is well known for her sitcom roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977) and as Ellen Jackson Harper in the first two seasons of Mama's Family (1983 - 1984). She is perhaps best known for her role as Rose Rylund in the series The Golden Girls (1985 - 1992).

Betty White with The Golden Girls (1985-1992) co-stars
Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, & Estelle Getty.

Rest In Peace....and thank you for being a friend.

Central Powers Soldiers Celebrating Hanukkah on the Eastern Front in 1916

Jewish soldiers of the Central Powers of the German and Austrian-Hungary Empires
celebrating Hanukkah together on the Eastern Front in 1916 during the middle of World War I.
Photo courtesy of the S. Ajnwojner Collection at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Photographer unknown.

This outstanding historical group photo shows a gathering of Jewish soldiers of the World War I Central Powers serving in the armies of the German Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire celebrating the eighth day of Hanukkah (Wednesday, December 27, 1916) somewhere on the Eastern Front in Poland (or possibly Ukraine) in what was then the Russian Empire.

Since Jewish soldiers were scattered in relatively small numbers throughout the forces and there were so few Feldrabbiner (Field Rabbis) to serve them, the men would often have to travel a long way to celebrate their major festivals in heterogeneous groups like this one.

The Hanukkah Menorah in the center is being held by both a German Landsturm soldier on the right and a Austro-Hungarian soldier on the left to show the unity of the two empires placed on top a pile of snow with the Hebrew inscription "Hanukkah, 1916" written in coal.

On the left side of the Menorah is a Austro-Hungarian nurse who has the red and white Austrian ribbon for the Decoration for Services to the Red Cross on her coat. On the right side of the Menorah is a German volunteer field rabbi one of about 30 such individuals to serve with the German armies during World War I -- the Star of David can be seen on his field cap.

An estimated 100,000 German Jewish military personnel served in the German Army during World War I, of whom 12,000 were killed in action and an estimated 35,000 received accolades for their service -- including 18,000 were awarded the German Iron Cross. In the Austro-Hungarian army its estimated that about 300,000 Jewish men served with distinction.

Posted here on this site in eternal memory so that these men and their service and loyalty to their countries shall never be forgotten.

For all my Jewish readers worldwide, I would like to wish all of y'all a Chag Hanukkah Sameach!

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!

Merry Christmas To Y'all!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapping him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was in the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wonder at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

~The Book of Luke, 2:1-20 (King James Version)

To all my readers I wish each and every one of y'all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Lord show you blessings this holiday season, and never forget the real reason for the season.