In all the years I have photographed the Moon and Venus together, this is likely the closest I have ever seen them in the sky.
Photography
How I Fine Tune Focus on Jupiter
I missed the actual Jupiter opposition by a few days, due to weather. But Saturday night had very clear skies, so I waited until near midnight to photograph the planet.
The 90% Waning Gibbous Moon, October 2023
For my several astronomy readers out there, it has been a while since I posted a good astrophotography image and article. I hope this one makes up a bit for the absence.
A Blue Moon with a Touch of Blue!
This may be the closest to “true Full” that I have photographed. If you can see in the upper-right/towards right, there is a small line of craters at the edge, then the rest of the Moon’s ellipse is straight-on smooth. I missed true Full by probably a few hours, but I had to let the Moon clear the trees surrounding my back deck.
Saturn at Opposition 2023 – Narrowing Rings
I could not have asked for a better mid-Summer night to observe and photograph Saturn at its opposition. The only real challenge was staying up late enough and then putting away all of my equipment afterward.
2023 Perseid Meteor Shower: Seven Observed, One Captured via iPhone
If there was a theme to my early morning observations this year, it was “space junk.” Effectively ideal conditions were soiled by the incessant amount of satellites that come and go from all directions. But I did observe meteors and captured at least one with my iPhone.
Moon Through Canadian Fire Smoke, Late June 2023
I had hoped to capture a ‘red’ Moon tonight like I saw yesterday, through the Canadian fire smoke, but this Waxing Gibbous photograph will have to do.
Venus on June 9th, 2023
Here is Venus through my homemade Dobsonian telescope, on a clear and warm late Spring evening in June, about 50 minutes after Sunset.
The 45% Waxing Crescent Moon, May 2023
There is a repeating theme this week – clear and calm temperatures, with every clear night revealing more of the Moon to see and photograph.
The 36% Waxing Crescent Moon, May 2023
This week’s lunar trek continues with another evening of clear sky and an easier target.