Waxing Moon with Earthshine in Twilight

The waxing 3-day-old Moon in twilight with Earthshine on the dark side of the Moon. Note the “Baily’s Beads” of bright peaks catching the morning sunlight around the lunar south pole. This is an HDR blend of 5 exposures in Camera Raw, to bring out the faint Earthshine while retaining detail in the bright sunlit crescent. Taken April 25, 2020 with the 130mm Astro-Physics refractor at f/6 and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 100.

Starlink 5 Train in Twilight

A train of Starlinks on April 18, 2020, from the 5 batch launched a month earlier on March 18, 2020, in procession across the south in the darkening twilight, from home in Alberta. This is one frame from 100 shot this evening as they appeared in a long train over more than an hour. Many were magnitude +1. However, two nights later most appeared 2 t 3 magnitudes fainter and were hard to photograph and, except for a few, were not easy to pick out to the naked eye. An attempt to record a time-lapse on April 20 didn’t record many. This is a single 4-second exposure at f/2.2 with the 14mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 800.

Venus and the Pleiades - Wide-Field (April 4, 2020)

Venus above the Pleiades star cluster, M45, on April 4, 2020, in the twilight and moonlight. Light from the gibbous Moon illuminated the sky so no long exposure would reveal much detail in and around the Pleiades. Venus passes close to the Pleiades only every 8 years. It was closer the night before, but alas, there were clouds! This is a stack of 5 x 30-second exposures with the SharpStar 76mm EDPH apo refractor with the 0.8x flattener/reducer for f/4.4, and at ISO 400 with the Canon EOS Ra. Taken earlier in the night with twilight still present. A version with the 140mm apo refractor shows a closer view from this same night.

Moon and Venus over Icy Pond

The waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine and (above) Venus shine in the evening twilight sky over an icy pond near home, on March 26, 2020. Venus was just past greatest elongation from the Sun, and being spring with the high angle of the ecliptic, Venus was as high as it can get this year in an evening apparition. The Pleiades is at very top. This is a stack of 7 exposures for the ground to smooth noise and one for the sky, all 2.5 seconds at f.4 with the Sigma 24mm lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 200.

Planet Trio at Dawn V2 (March 26, 2020)

The trio of (L to R) Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in conjunction in the dawn twilight, taken from home in Alberta on March 26, 2020. This is a stack of 10 exposures for the ground to smooth noise and one exposure for the sky to minimize trailing with Topaz DeNoise AI applied. All 5 seconds at f/2 with the Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600. Luminar Flex Soft Glow effect added.

Planet Trio at Dawn V1 (March 26, 2020)

The trio of (L to R) Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in conjunction in the dawn twilight, taken from home in Alberta on March 26, 2020. This is a stack of 10 exposures for the ground to smooth noise and one exposure for the sky to minimize trailing with Topaz DeNoise AI applied. All 10 seconds at f/2 with the Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 3200. Luminar Flex Soft Glow effect added.

Orion and Venus at Dusk (March 25, 2020)

This is the evening sky on March 25, 2020, with brilliant Venus high in the west just after the date (March 24) of its greatest elongation in the evening sky for 2020. It appears here about as high as it can get with the ecliptic tipped up to a high angle in spring. To the left is Orion and the winter stars in the twilight. Just above the horizon at bottom right in the bright twilight is the day-old thin crescent Moon about to set. Above Venus are the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters. This is a single exposure with the Nikon D750 and 24mm Sigma lens, at 8 seconds at ISO 400 and f/2.8.

Moonrise at Dawn over the Rocket Range

The rising waning Moon shining just below Jupiter and dim Mars, in conjunction at dawn on March 18, 2020. This view looks over the Churchill Rocket Range from the Northern Studies Centre, in a panorama from northeast to southeast. This is a panorama of 6 segments, with the Canon EOS Ra and 24mm lens. Stitched with Photoshop.

Selfie Silhouette Looking at Moon (Feb 27, 2020)

A selfie looking at the waxing crescent Moon near Venus on Feb 27, 2020, standing beside the Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Pro binoculars on the Sky-Watcher AZ5 mount. This is a single shot with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm lens. Glow effect added with Luminar Flex.

Selfie Silhouette with Binoculars Looking at Moon (Feb 27, 2020)

A selfie in silhouette of me looking at the waxing crescent Moon near Venus on Feb 27, 2020, using the Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Pro binoculars on the Sky-Watcher AZ5 mount for a steady view. This is a single shot with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm lens. Glow effect added with Luminar Flex.

Selfie with Binoculars Looking at Moon (Feb 27, 2020)

A selfie looking at the waxing crescent Moon near Venus on Feb 27, 2020, using the Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Pro binoculars on the Sky-Watcher AZ5 mount for a steady view. This is a single shot with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm lens, using the flash on the camera. Glow effect added with Luminar Flex.

Planet Trio at Dawn (Feb 27, 2020)

The trio of (L to R): Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars low in the dawn sky on February 27, 2020, as they begin a month of interesting gatherings and conjunctions, as Mars approaches then passes Jupiter then Saturn with the Moon joining them March 18. They are all in the area of sky in Sagittarius and Capricornus. This is a single 1-second expsoure with the 85mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100.

Planet Trio at Dawn (Feb 27, 2020) with Labels

The trio of (L to R): Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars low in the dawn sky on February 27, 2020, as they begin a month of interesting gatherings and conjunctions, as Mars approaches then passes Jupiter then Saturn with the Moon joining them March 18. They are all in the area of sky in Sagittarius and Capricornus. This is a single 1-second expsoure with the 85mm Rokinon lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100.

Mercury at Greatest Elongation, with Venus

Mercury, below centre at magnitude -0.6, at greatest eastern elongation in the evening twilight on February 10, 2020, with brilliant Venus, at magnitude -4.2, high above. Mercury was 18° east of the Sun, while Venus was 42° east of the Sun. Venus will be at greatest elongation on March 24 this year. This is a single shot with the Canon 35mm lens and Canon 6D MkII.

Full Moonrise of February with Deer

The rising Full Moon of February 8, 2020, over the Alberta prairie with deer wandering across the field in the distance. This night the Moon rose about 7 hours before the moment of actual Full Moon so it was rising well before sunset, with the Sun still well up the southwest but amid some cloud so it was not directly lighting the landscape. The brighter sky meant that a single exposure could capture the sky without overexposing the lunar disk. This is a panorama of 5 images with the 200mm lens and 1.4x teleconvertor on the Canon 6D MkII camera. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw,

Full Moonrise of February

The rising Full Moon of February 8, 2020, over the Alberta prairie. This night the Moon rose about 7 hours before the moment of actual Full Moon so it was rising well before sunset, with the Sun still well up the southwest but amid some cloud so it was not directly lighting the landscape. The brighter sky meant that a single exposure could capture the sky without overexposing the lunar disk. This is a single image with the 200mm lens and 1.4x teleconvertor on the Canon 6D MkII camera.

Mercury, Venus and the Waxing Quarter Moon (with Labels)

Here is the line of Mercury, Venus and the waxing quarter Moon across the evening sky on February 2, 2020. This illustrated version shows how the quarter Moon forms a 90° right angle with the Sun (here just below the horizon), which is why it is a quarter Moon phase. When the Moon is 90° from the Sun (either waxing or waning) we see half of its face illuminated by the Sun. When it is 180° away from the Sun we see 100% of its face illuminated in a Full Moon. Mercury and Venus always appear much closer to the Sun, with Mercury never more than about 18° from the Sun. Mercury was at its greatest elongation of 18° on Feb. 10 this year, just over a week after this image was taken. On this evening it was about 15° from the Sun. Venus never gets more than about 47° from the Sun, and its greatest elongation date this year in 2020 was March 24. On this date, Feb 2, it was 41° from the Sun. I’ve indicated those angles, though the actual measured angles on the image are less than those figures, as they should be measured from the camera not from a point in front of the camera as I’ve shown. This is just for illustration purposes! Put your protractors away! This is a single image with the 14mm Sigma lens and Nikon D750. Taken from home in Alberta from a latitude of 51° N.

Mercury, Venus and the Waxing Quarter Moon

Here is the line of Mercury, Venus and the waxing quarter Moon across the evening sky on February 2, 2020. This version shows how the quarter Moon forms a 90° right angle with the Sun (here just below the horizon), which is why it is a quarter Moon phase. When the Moon is 90° from the Sun (either waxing or waning) we see half of its face illuminated by the Sun. When it is 180° away from the Sun we see 100% of its face illuminated in a Full Moon. Mercury and Venus always appear much closer to the Sun, with Mercury never more than about 18° from the Sun. Mercury was at its greatest elongation of 18° on Feb. 10 this year, just over a week after this image was taken. On this evening it was about 15° from the Sun. Venus never gets more than about 47° from the Sun, and its greatest elongation date this year in 2020 was March 24. On this date, Feb 2, it was 41° from the Sun. This is a single image with the 14mm Sigma lens and Nikon D750. Taken from home in Alberta from a latitude of 51° N.

Scorpius Rising with Moon and Mars at Dawn

Scorpius in the snow! We normally associate Scorpius with the spring and summer months, but here he is creeping into the sky before sunrise on a January morning in winter. On this morning Scorpius was home to a gathering of the waning crescent Moon east of Mars (near centre) which is above equally red Antares in Scorpius, with the head of Scorpius at right, as it rises into the winter dawn sky, on January 21, 2020. Antares is considered the “rival of Mars” as they are both red. Mars was just beginning its excellent apparition for the year of 2020, but was still dim and far away at this point in its orbit. The Moon was close to Mars the morning before but it was cloudy! This is an exposure blend of long exposures for the sky and ground and short exposures for the Moon to reduce it brightness and make its disk and Earthshine more visible, especially with it in thin cloud. All were with the 50mm Sigma lens on the Canon EOS Ra.

Observing Venus and Saturn (Dec 8, 2019)

A selfie of me observing the grouping of Venus and Saturn in the evening twilight on Dec 8, 2019, using binoculars. They were closest to each other two nights later. I shot this for a book illustration.

Observing the Moon with Binoculars (Dec 8, 2019)

A selfie of me observing the waxing gibbous Moon in the evening twilight on Dec 8, 2019, using binoculars. I shot this for a book illustration. This is a blend of a long exposure for the sky and foreground and a short exposure for the Moon to retain detail in its disk. With the Canon EOS Ra and 15-35mm RF lens at 35mm.

Moon and Three Planets Line-Up

The waxing crescent Moon and three planets in a line across the southwestern evening sky on Nov. 30, 2019, a chilly and frosty night. Saturn is below and to the right of the Moon, Venus is brightest at centre, while Jupiter is to the lower right of Venus just above the horizon. Those two planets were in conjunction a week earlier. The line of Moon and planets visibly defines the ecliptic low across the late autumn evening sky. This is from latitide 51° N. I shot this from the viewpoint at Blackfoot Crossing overlooking the Bow River in Alberta. Jupiter and Saturn are on the ecliptic, but the Moon and Venus lie below the ecliptic here, due to the inclination of their orbits. This is a panorama of two segments, with the Canon 15-35mm RF lens at 35mm, and the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera, good for sunsets. The segments were stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Clouds and snow the previous two nights prevented me from shooting the grouping when the Moon was closer to the planets, but this evening line is a fine consolation prize!

Venus and Jupiter over the Rockies

The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter of November 23, 2019, as seen over the foothills and front ranges of the Rocky Mountains in southwest Alberta. I shot this from the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, prior to their monthly Open House event that night with about 400 in attendance. But at this time it was just me and one other ardent photographer present to shoot this scene. This is an HDR blend (stacked using Adobe Camera Raw) of 5 exposures at 2/3-stop intervals, with the Rokinon 85mm lens at f/4 on the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 100. It works great on sunsets, bringing out the reds and magenta hues. The high dynamic range blending brings out details in the dark foreground without blowing out the highlights in the bright sky. A mild application of an overlay-mode dodge-and-burn layer touches up the mid-tone luminosity levels.

Venus and Jupiter over Blackfoot Crossing

A panorama of the sunset sky with Venus (brighter) and Jupiter (fainter above Venus) near centre in the twilight on November 22, 2019, a day before their close conjunction. This panorama is overlooking the Bow River Valley at Blackfoot Crossing east of Calgary, Alberta. This is a 5-segment panorama with the 85mm Rokinon lens on the Canon EOS Ra, a red-sensitive camera that accentuates the red sunset. Stitched with Adobe Camera Ra.w.