Moon/Venus Conjuntion

I almost missed this. I was putting the dog out the back door and happened to see it just before it set. I quickly grabbed my camera and tripod. Cannon EOS 300D 100-300mm zoom telephoto. 21:42:43 EDT.

ISO 1600 – 2 sec exposure to illuminate the foreground.

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Note the haze and skyglow of the Florida summer as it compares with a similar photo from mid-winter. 🙁

Martian Astronomer Images Jupiter

What looks initially like a Hubble photo or an exceptional ground based image of Jupiter was indeed taken from Mars!

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Image courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

The martian astronomer responsible for this outstanding shot is actually not a native but a terran immigrant. The HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this picture on January 11th while calibrating camera’s pointing and color response.

Original images and further details can be found here: HiRISE | Jupiter As Seen from Mars

Just thought this was kinda “gee-whiz” interesting.

Crescent Moon and Venus/Where am I?

Well, so much for my triumphant return to the amateur astronomy blogworld. I would say my observing season is about two-thirds over and I haven’t gotten the new scope out ONCE. It’s not that I don’t want to because I really do, it’s just that I’ve never been so busy with work in my life – that in conjunction with the conspiring elements out to thwart me on the few observing opportunities I do have.

The only thing I can share with you at this time are some photos I took of the crescent Moon and Venus… LAST month (Yes I haven’t even had time until now to post these). I was (of course) on my way out to work right around 7 PM on January 20th and was stopped dead in my tracks by the crescent Moon and Venus hanging low in the West. I ran in and grabbed my camera.

I’m sorry these aren’t annotated on the image.

Both shots are from Saturday January 20th, Canon EOS 300D, 300mm telephoto (balanced on the roof of my van)


f 5.6 shutter: 1.6 sec. ISO: 400


f 4.5 shutter 2.5 sec. ISO: 400

I love my job (and money) so I’m glad to be busy, but I’m really jonesing for “a fix” with the scope!

Experiences in Urban Backyard Astronomy