Copyright ©2020 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I’ve still got my head in the clouds or tilted upward toward the sky. This week there is a 3 planet and Moon conjunction going on in the wee hours before dawn and I’ve been up to see it two of the three mornings it’s visible.
Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars are all lined up beside or above the Moon.
Here’s how it appeared in my frame on April 14th, 2020. All three planets were rising behind the Last Quarter Moon. I caught a shooting star and a couple of satellites in my image too. They did look a bit bigger with my eyes but look smaller when photographed.
Here’s how it looked this morning with all three planets rising above the Waning Crescent Moon (44%). Jupiter is the brightest planet above and to the right of Saturn which is above the Moon, and Mars is following behind. It looks like I caught a satellite just left and lower than the Moon again this morning.
It’s supposed to start raining tomorrow and cloud up, but if by chance it’s clear tomorrow morning I’ll be up to photograph it. Tomorrow is the last day to observe them when they’re lined up so nicely then Mars will begin marching further eastward and be pulling further away from the other planets.
If you’re up an hour before sunrise on the 16th look southwest or look for the rising moon you can see the conjunction with your eyes no special gear required. Mars will be above and slightly right of the Moon with Saturn and Jupiter above Mars.
By the time first light appears in the morning sky before 6AM for me- dim Saturn and Mars are lost in the light and only Jupiter still burns bright above the moon.
I hope you’re all having a good week, and your spirits are up and you’re busy and well!
Nikon D810| Nikkor 35mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 21.1.1
more to come…
UPDATE! April 16, 2020 -It was clear this morning and the moon’s light shining in my bedroom window woke me up so I got up and photographed this line up too. As you see Mars is moving further away from the other two planets. I won’t be getting up and photographing this one again this month. There are other things I have planned this month though. 😀
Nikon D810| Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G| PS CC 21.1.1
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
I really admire your skill, planning and execution. Exposure info? Please make the labels a bit bigger so that old folks like me can read them.
I didn’t want to overwhelm the planet with a big label. 😂
F/2.8-3.2| 6 seconds| ISO 2000
Interesting photos, Deborah. I appreciate how you labelled the planets. You and your photography are always an inspiration. Looking forward to the “more to come.”🙂
Thank you so much, Erica! I hope you’re all doing well!
Wow!! Thank you, Deborah.
Isn’t that cool! I like seeing these things that happen in the sky. Thank you, Jennie!
Yes, it is more than cool! Who wouldn’t want to see all the wonders in the sky? Thank goodness there are photographers who capture these wonders, like you. I miss Carl Sagan.
Thank you so much, Jennie! He was pretty cool. I also enjoy his poetry.
You’re welcome, Deborah!
😀
Cool shots, and an interesting narrative. I hope your week is going splendidly, Deborah. Hugs on the wing!
Thank you so much, Teagan! So far so good, and I hope your week is going well too! Hugs back to you! xx🥰
Hi there, this is my first time to visit your blog and I want to say hello.
By the way, I am new in blogging and just recently I made a challenge to my self. I will be visiting 10 blogs each day for 21 days. I will leave comment on each blog I visit and have its link posted on my blog. Hope you can visit my blog to support me on this one.
I also followed your blog.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone being awakened by moonlight. You’re really tuned in.
Wow, what a beautiful photo shoot of planets. I’ve never in my life seen anything like it, all lining up. Great post! By the way please join my blog too, if you find it interesting – let’s grow together!😊
Thank you!
Cool photos 💖
Thank you so much, Saania!
Gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Kendall!
Welcome!
Cool photos!!
Thank you, Lynn!
this is just fantastic Deb!!!
Thank you so much! How are you? Going to catch up soon I hope!
Those are amazing, Deborah! I love seeing the conjunctions in the sky. I’ve not set about to capture any moon images yet. Some day! 😉
Thank you so much, Amy! Just looking up at the night is enough sometimes. 😀
Awesome photos!
Thank you so much, Pam! Did you ever make the bread? I still haven’t been able to get yeast in my weekly grocery order!
Thanks for sharing these, Deborah. I actually had planned to look for this, but we’ve been under clouds every time I remembered. These are great.
Thank you Dan! I updated my post with this morning’s image. It was clear so I got up for it.
I’m glad you liked the images!
I checked back – I like the new addition!
I was surprised it was clear! Thank you, Dan!
Awesome captures, Deborah! I follow the stars through a couple apps and there have been some nice alignments recently. Well done!
Thank you, Donna! There have been. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s lining up through the year.
Our skies were clear this morning and I thought of you as I looked up at the moon and surrounding glowing dots. My husband shares your enthusiasm for the skies and has been known to drag me outside to witness what he’s seeing.
If I can see this lovely alignment with all the light pollution we get from a large city, then I can only imagine what it’s like where it is much darker!
Oh, how neat you were up and saw the Moon rise with the planets! I got lucky and the clouds cleared overnight so the Moon’s light woke me up as it crested the mountains so I raced to get my coat, cap, and gear out to the back patio so I could capture images of the Moon’s rise right above the mountains. You see how much further away Mars is now from Saturn and Jupiter. These last three days were the closest the three would be together.
There are so many stars out here even with the light pollution I have here. It’s amazing! It’s sometimes harder to find the common constellations when there are so many stars! Who knew?
LOL! My kids can sympathize with you being dragged out in the middle of the night to look at comets or stars. I did it to them a number of times and they nagged and whined to get home and back to bed.
Though now they say it was kinda neat. 😀🥰
hahaha!! That was my husband! He would drag the boys out to see whatever interesting celestial event was happening. Now they’re just like him … learned behaviour 🙂
My kids aren’t doing that…yet. One can hope! 😀
You’ll never guess what Baby Girl just texted me. She asked, ” Have you been able to see Venus this week? We’ve been watching it.”
Oh, how I loved reading that! 😍 Sometimes you do get a confirmation that things are sinking in!
Awww – learned behaviour 🙂 It’s so nice when there’s evidence the good stuff stuck 🙂
It is! 😀😍
Most of us would never have an opportunity to see this so thank you for getting up so early, grabbing your gear, and sharing your shots. 🙂
You’re welcome, Judy! I’m glad you enjoyed the images. 😀
Very cool, Deborah
Isn’t it? I’m fascinated by the stars and planets. It’s getting windy and cloudy here so it’s not looking good for a 3rd early star watch for me tomorrow. Thank you so much, John.
😁
Cool stuff !!
Thank you, Jamie! It’s not looking good for a 3rd morning shoot weather wise. My son says it’s been raining a lot where he is south of you. Is rainy where you are?
Wonderful Deborah! And thank you for explaining what to see! I guess, apart from technical skills and knowlegde about the skies, I could not make a picture like this because of light polution we got here. So it’s great to be able to see them posted by you.
Thank you so much Peter! With a high ISO that early in the morning your camera will see it. You see I have light pollution too from my town in the south, and my neighbors lights are spilling into the edges of my frame on the second image.
I can give you settings to start with, and you’ll need a steady base like a tripod with ballhead to keep the camera pointed up at the sky. Ping me if you want some pointers!
I would very much like some settings to start with Deborah! I do have a sturdy tripod, so that won’t be a problem. Thanks in advance!
Ooooo, way cool, Deborah!! One of the things I have to do while not going out is to take a look at the manual for my Nikon and figure out how to use it other than just point and shoot. I’ve been completely remiss about this and consequently miss some great photo ops. More fun than going through files and organizing, shredding, etc. which I’m doing today (although it has to be done and this is a good time.)
Happy Wednesday!
janet
Which Nikon have you got, Janet? Reading the manual can be confusing, but after you start using the other modes it begins to make sense.
I’m glad I’m done with the heavy shredding and filing for the year. I feel your pain.
Happy Wednesday to you too!
D5300
It’s a complex camera, but you’ll catch on to the Professional Modes with a little practice, and reading the manual and YouTube! If you have any question just holler. Maybe I will know the answer.
Thanks!
Welcome! 😀
Nice shots! Lucky you shoot from your backyard!
Thank you so much, Gordon! It’s so nice to have a view! I am counting my blessings everyday.
Great photos. I do like looking in the sky at night even if I never figure out what I’m looking at.
I don’t know what I’m looking at half the time either, but that’s okay it’s still pretty! Thank you so much, Ally!
Cool photos and info! Maybe I’ll set my alarm for 4:45 am tomorrow. My weather app says clear skies for my area. 😊
Thank you, Myriam! I hope you’re able to get up even if it’s just to peek out and see it. It’s kinda neat. 😀