Mars at its closest approach to Earth for another 15 years, on October 5, 2020, with autumn aspens. Taken from home with the waning Moon off camera providing the illumination. This is a stack of 8 median-combined images for the ground to smooth noise and one exposure for the sky. All 15 seconds at ISO 2500 and f/4 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens and Nikon D750. SharpenAI applied to the ground; DeNoiseAI applied to the sky. Diffraction spikes on Mars added with Astronomy Tools Actions. A mild Orton Glow effect added with Luminar 4.
The close conjunction of bright Venus with the star Regulus in Leo at dawn on October 3, 2020. Light from the Full Moon illuminates the scene, taken from home in Alberta. This is the vertical portrait orientation version that shows all of the Sickle of Leo. There is a matching landscape orientation version. This is a single exposure with the 50mm Sigma lens and Canon 6D MkII. Star spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.
The nearly Full Moon (a waning gibbous) in conjunction on October 2 just below Mars, then 11 days before a close opposition and very bright. This was from home in Alberta. This is a 6-exposure stack (from short 1/100 sec for the Moon and Mars to long 1 second for the sky so it does not go completely black) blended with luminosity masks all with the tracked Astro-Physics 105mm Traveler telescope at f/6 for 630mm focal length, and Canon 6DMkII. The disk of Mars is just resolved.
