Sky Haze Experiment with Venus Jupiter Conjunction

SKY HAZE EXPERIMENT WITH VENUS JUPITER CONJUNCTION

SATURDAY JULY 21ST 2012

4:39:40 am

This test exposure is maximum processed to show clouds and haze (at top of photo) that was not visible to the naked eye. It's obvious that on nights of this typical haze, which apparently is often, the limiting magnitude takes a reduction hit. Planets shown are Jupiter and Venus next to Aldebaran in the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull. This is a screen capture from the original 1016 x 1529 (752K) image. Exposed at 1/10th second, the ISO 1,600 image was at f/2 with a 28mm lens without zoom, using a Canon PowerShot S95.

The next color photo shows a normalized enhanced conjunction view with two planets and three brighter stars including Aldebaran in Taurus (at right of Jupiter and Venus) and Capella (far left) in the constellation Auriga, visible in this early morning dawn view. The conjunction view shows less stars around 4:30 am due to the encroaching sky glow. However, earlier clouds prevented completely clear sky imaging. Refer to the previous conjunction images for the identification of stars.




 
In the next view, a kind of "Where's Waldo" of stars, shown at larger image scale, a maximum number of eight stars are visible. Two above 101, four at left, and three at top.

07.20.2012 Venus Conjunction Sky Map Experiment

Above right: Taipei 101, Jupiter, Venus, Capella in Taurus

July 20, 2012 Venus Jupiter Conjunction Sky Map Experiment

Constellation Auriga with bright star Capella

Friday morning was clear enough to capture Venus Jupiter conjunction and the most stars ever photographed in the early morning dawn sky. This experiment shows that a simple hand held camera shooting a very clear sky at high ISO ratings can create a "downtown" star map from a heavily light polluted high density populated city. This 1 second exposed (2 EV) image was taken at 4:20:06 am with settings of f/2, a 28mm lens, and ISO 1,600. No UFOs were seen during the sequence of observations. Enough stars are seen to clearly define the constellations. This view is screen captured from the original 1064 x 1600 pixel image. The star map is rotated to match the actual view of the constellation Auriga and the brightest star Capella, in the photo to the left of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. The photo shows the Pleiades star cluster, Venus, Jupiter, Aldebaran in the Hyades star cluster, and the constellation Auriga with the bright star Capella. A PowerShot Canon S95 CCD camera was used to obtain the sequential images in this study. The camera eye is recording numerous stars not seen to the naked eye view. To conduct a program of creating the aforementioned sky maps, a simple tripod is recommended. It may also be possible to go deeper on the exposure and this deserves continued experimentation. The Lab 50 is obstructed by a brick structure on the South, so for an all sky mapping project another lab is recommended, like Area 51 atop the skyscraper.