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.
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.
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.
