What did you see in the sky tonight?
- geckzilla
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
I moved. Fires here are caused by a variety of circumstances, and easily become out of control because of hot, arid conditions. Human activity causes most of them, but also lightning as well. Here is a statement directly from Cal Fire: https://twitter.com/CAL_FIRE/status/905088132512530433 (It's Twitter, I know, but I can't find anything more official than that.)
And yes, climate change is playing some kind of role.
And yes, climate change is playing some kind of role.
Just call me "geck" because "zilla" is like a last name.
- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Well, now that I have this nice new scope and mount I got just for the eclipse, thought I should get some more use out of it. Here's the Sun a few minutes ago (UT 17:24 2017.09.06). Lots going on considering how inactive it's been the last few years. (Be sure to zoom in to full size.)
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Nice conjunction this morning between a thin crescent Moon and Venus.
Ann
Ann
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Caught a very new Moon this evening- a challenge to pick out even when I knew where to look. Just one lunar cycle after the eclipse, at a phase of 3.8% when I made these shots. One through the telescope, the other with a telephoto just before it disappeared. A tree ornament!
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Really pretty clouds a few days back. I'm pretty sure that clouds like this are made up of ice crystals. (I know you can get icy clouds any time of year, but our surface temperatures are finally starting to get cooler and more autumn-like, so these clouds seem right in form.)
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Wasn't looking for it, but just happened to notice it. Full moon rising in the middle of the Belt of Venus.
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
The Dragonboat Festival falls on the 5thday of the fifth lunar month. On this day, we eat pyramid-shaped dumplings made of glutinous rice.
- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Walking Bojo last night we happened to get a nice sunset.
![:) :ssmile:](./images/smilies/smile.gif)
A good photographer might have done better with such a nice setting but the results are often quite serendipitous.
Good light, willing subjects, and modern photographic equipment sure make for fun play. ![:) :ssmile:](./images/smilies/smile.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Nice conjunction this morning. Too many houses in the way for me to easily photograph but I'm sure many others will. ![thumb up :thumb_up:](./images/smilies/thumb_up.gif)
![thumb up :thumb_up:](./images/smilies/thumb_up.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
There was a nice Moon out some ten minutes ago. It's disappeared behind some clouds now.
Ann
Ann
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Last night's "super moon" rising behind Castle Mountain.
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Not much is tougher than a rising full Moon. As a rule, what I find best is to shoot it the night before it's full. Visually, there's no difference in the shape of the Moon, but it's rising in a lighter sky which means you don't have all that dynamic range to deal with. Otherwise, all you can do is shoot different exposures and try for some kind of HDR processing.Fred the Cat wrote:What camera settings are for best for rising full moons?
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
I've been trying to photograph the rising moon (with the communication towers in the foreground) for quite some time now but conditions, the right time of year, and skill levels haven't caught up with each other yet.Chris Peterson wrote:Not much is tougher than a rising full Moon. As a rule, what I find best is to shoot it the night before it's full. Visually, there's no difference in the shape of the Moon, but it's rising in a lighter sky which means you don't have all that dynamic range to deal with. Otherwise, all you can do is shoot different exposures and try for some kind of HDR processing.Fred the Cat wrote:What camera settings are for best for rising full moons?
![No. :no:](./images/smilies/no.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Now that you say it, I can admire your picture more, Chris. It is indeed beautiful.Chris Peterson wrote:Not much is tougher than a rising full Moon.Fred the Cat wrote:What camera settings are for best for rising full moons?
Ann
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- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Just to followup I messed up again. I thought the azimuth needed, for the moon rising, was 65 degrees so I captured the rising moon (camera attached to my 4 inch Celestron this time) coming up the hillside.
When I double-checked my records, it needed to be 69 degrees. Good news is - that's the azimuth when I look at the January 31st full moon.
Now if only the weather and everything else goes right that night. ![scared :ohno:](./images/smilies/ohno.gif)
![Frustrated :bang:](./images/smilies/bang.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![scared :ohno:](./images/smilies/ohno.gif)
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- rstevenson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
This morning, just pre-dawn, I saw Jupiter leading the crescent Moon in the east. The Moon wasn't just a crescent though, it was well illuminated by Earthshine. A little ahead of them, invisible through the city haze, my app tells me were Mars and Spica, while just below the horizon there was a crowd arriving, Mercury and Venus to rise just before the Sun with Saturn just after. A lop-sided Solar System this morning, which may explain how I'm starting the day.
Rob
Rob
What did I see in the sky today?
It's winter solstice, and we are having one of our rare semi-sunny December days here in Malmö. The local time here, as I'm writing this, is 12.37 p.m., but I went to my balcony about half an hour ago to judge the height of the Sun near noon. It cleared the four-story building perhaps some 50-70 meters away from the building where I live, on the top floor. But it didn't clear it by all that much.
The Sun stays above the horizon for 7 hours and 1 minute in Malmö today. Almost all of Sweden is even darker.
Ann
The Sun stays above the horizon for 7 hours and 1 minute in Malmö today. Almost all of Sweden is even darker.
Ann
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- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
I guess it'll be a fun date in the Gem state!Fred the Cat wrote:Just to followup I messed up again. I thought the azimuth needed, for the moon rising, was 65 degrees so I captured the rising moon (camera attached to my 4 inch Celestron this time) coming up the hillside.
When I double-checked my records, it needed to be 69 degrees. Good news is - that's the azimuth when I look at the January 31st full moon.Now if only the weather and everything else goes right that night.
![Cool 8-)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
There is a really really nice conjunction between Jupiter and Mars this morning!
Ann
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Ann
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Pretty new Moon setting behind the Sun tonight.
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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- Fred the Cat
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
About Seven Sisters
but while looking at it last night I wondered if any of the constellations were clusters (formed together) ![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"
- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Well, "constellations" refer to regions of the sky. I expect you're talking about asterisms here, like the Big Dipper (or the Pleiades). It has been suggested based on proper motion that most of the stars of the Big Dipper are associated with a largely dispersed open cluster. I'm sure there are other asterisms with this feature, as well.Fred the Cat wrote:but while looking at it last night I wondered if any of the constellations were clusters (formed together) :?:
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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- Chris Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Couldn't quite catch the moment of moonrise tonight because of clouds. This is a bit later, late twilight, with some pretty clouds in front. I've got plans to shoot the eclipse tomorrow morning, total just before sunrise. But we have a lot of funny cloud cover that comes and goes, so I'm not sure the weather will cooperate. It's not cold, at least.
Chris
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Chris L Peterson
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Chris L Peterson
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Re: What did you see in the sky tonight?
Chris Peterson wrote:Well, "constellations" refer to regions of the sky. I expect you're talking about asterisms here, like the Big Dipper (or the Pleiades). It has been suggested based on proper motion that most of the stars of the Big Dipper are associated with a largely dispersed open cluster. I'm sure there are other asterisms with this feature, as well.Fred the Cat wrote:but while looking at it last night I wondered if any of the constellations were clusters (formed together)
The Sco-Cen association.
Photo: Simon J.Murphy.
Photo: Simon J.Murphy.
Ann
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