Life and the weather got in the way that week and I never got around to completing this challenge. And, of course, it's raining right now and very cloudy on the perfect weekend to attempt this again. Monday there will be no moon in the night time sky, much like it was in this shot taken last December.
I'd taken this shot in the morning when I went out to get the paper. Saturn was low in the sky, with a waning crescent moon and a very bright Venus just above it. The next couple of days a storm came in, clouding up the sky at the perfect time for this kind of shot, much like what's happening right now in Southern California.
The other problem with night time shots like this is you're also dealing with the cold. If it were to clear up tonight or tomorrow, that would mean we'll have really cold night time temperatures. Well, cold is relative since our really cold would get down into the high 30s. Still, sitting out in the open for 2 to 3 hours while you're taking star photos is not something I'd like to do very often in 30 degree weather.
This challenge is something that I will do, but I'm probably going to hold on to it and attempt it sometime this summer. I can drive up to the high desert, find a spot near some Joshua Trees and wait for the evening to unfold, or I can attempt it when we go on our annual summer camping trip.
And even thought Spring Break is right around the corner, it's going to be difficult to do, because the moon will be progressing back to full during those two weeks reflecting a lot of extra light into the shot that I really don't want to have. I know Harry is a reader of this blog, but he's out of the country right now. I'd just like to let him know that I intend to keep this challenge. It's just not going to happen this month.
Remember that most promises, even when made to someone else, are really made to oneself. This particular promise is obviously important to you, and you'll come through, eventually :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for the moon, yeah, it can definitely get in the way at times, but last night, it was very helpful to me, as it helped me find Comet C/2011 L4, otherwise known as PanSTARRS, which is a silly name for a comet, which is why I prefer the more-formal nomenclature, but I digress ;-)
I was out on Monday, but the coastal marine layer was just heavy enough, off in the distance, to make it near-impossible. Tuesday night was much better: no clouds and only a little sea haze. I started looking shortly after sunset, but it wasn't until I was able to see the moon that I was able to finally grab the comet in my 11x80 binox. Could not see it with my smaller birding binox, and certainly not naked-eye.
Without the moon, I might not have been able to find it, as it was still washed out by sunlight, which was waning, but still bright enough that only a few stars, and Jupiter, were yet visible. So while I often wish that the moon wasn't so bright, last night, it was just what I needed. And looking at the sliver crescent was interesting in itself.
The comet should be a decent object, well worth trying to see, for a few more evenings, at least. Lots of on-line info to help you on any given night. It has a nice, solid nucleus, and a good dust tail; I wasn't able to see the gas tail, but it might become visible as the comet moves away from the sun's glare. Good luck to those who try!
While we were on the cruise around New Zealand and Australia, there was an astronomer on board giving a series of lectures; one talk was on photographing star trails in the southern hemisphere. I am going to try and modify the information that we were given and try to adept it to the northern night sky. I will let you know how it goes.
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