image by Howard Eskildsen, Ocala, Florida
Many people sent LPOD images of the May 20 close approach of the Moon and Venus. It was a pleasing view all over the world - see especially the last image here. Like most people, Howard sent me a wide angle view that captured the two bodies in one image, but he also included a closeup of the golden Moon. I like the color and the detail of Howard’s crescent image, so I cut and pasted his Venus from the more wide angle view to fit all on one screen. Purists might complain that that is not the way it looked in the sky, and that its an impossibility for Venus to be within the diameter of the Moon. Yes, and yes. But in fact, there have been a number of largely unsubstantiated reports of starry brightnesses within the curve of the Moon. Some of these probably were sightings of Aristarchus in Earthshine, a rare few could have been meteor impacts on the Moon, and others were simply wrong. Today’s composite image is a hommage to them all!
Technical Details:
May 20, 2007, 00:25 UDT. Orion 80 mm f/6 refractor + 40 mm MaxView eyepiece + Nikon Coolpix 4300 + IR block filter + 3X Barlow. CAW note: Venus should be 3 times larger since it was taken without the Barlow, but I wouldn’t want to manipulate the image…
Related Links:
The May 20 sky
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