Moon, Venus and Jupiter on parade in west... |
Moon, Venus and Jupiter on parade in west... |
Feb 24 2012, 10:48 PM
Post
#1
|
||||
The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
FINALLY the cloud cleared today, and feeling like Trinity seeing the clear sky for the first time, in the Matrix sequel, I went up to the castle and got some pics...
That last one shows the ISS moving through the sky too... -------------------- |
|||
|
||||
Mar 5 2012, 12:44 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 100 Joined: 25-April 08 From: near New York City, NY Member No.: 4103 |
I've posted some more photos I took Saturday evening.
I don't have access to nearby castles (sorry Stu!), but the local high school is one of the highest places in town, so I was able to add Mercury, low in the west, to my photos of Jupiter and Venus. (Despite the 10 to 20 mile per hour winds shaking my tripod!) Mercury was furthest out from the Sun today - see it soon as it will get dimmer quickly this week and next. After you find Venus and Mercury, turn around and see Mars rising in the east. (See my photo of Mars and surrounding stars.) We are closest to Mars on the 5th, so it's brightest and largest now. If you get a night with steady air, start with low power and then see how much magnification you can get out of your telescope. Can you pick out the gray patches of rock peeking out from the salmon-colored sands of Mars? There was a small part of the North Polar Cap (or some remaining clouds) still visible at one end of the planet when I looked last week. Mars is still tiny, even at high power, but it's worth a look. Just imagine yourself as an astronomer of old who watched the darker areas increasing as the polar cap shrank and thinking the darker area might be plant life (instead of dust being blown off volcanic rock). I also got a nice 20-second exposure of Orion with the Hyades and Pleiades. I'll post my friend's rotating Mars time lapse later tonight. To avoid taking up space here: see http://bkellysky.wordpress.com/ |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 27th September 2024 - 03:26 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |