I thought this would be fun ... an over-exposed shot of the moon to show the clouds in the sky. I'm not sure what star or planet is next to the moon, I didn't make note of it and too much time has passed now.
Yesterday I got my new Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, and I just had to try it out. It's not the camera, you know ... it's the lens. OMG! What a lens! Here is the moon at a mere 200 mm, 1/600th of a second (Canon EOS 20D) ... it doesn't get much better than this. See ... I told you you don't have to have a fancy telescope to get some breathtaking images. :)
This photo of the moonrise over Seattle was taken at 5:45 a.m. April 3, 2008 from the Manchester Dock in Port Orchard, Washington, using a Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera. Photo by Jim W. Coleman.
The February 20, 2008 lunar eclipse was ever bit as spectacular as the August 28 eclipse, perhaps moreso because Saturn and Leo's bright star, Regulus, were in close proximity to the moon - and Saturn was near opposition, to boot! Here are some stunning images captured of that eclipse. Above, Saturn lies to the lower left of the moon and Regulus rides overhead to the right. Click to see more images...
Every lunar eclipse, Rita, a very thoughtful coworker, brings in Moon Pies so our small work group can enjoy them. This has happened three times in the last two years ... but now we face a three-year drought of Moon Pies as this is the last lunar eclipse for three years. Here's hoping we don't miss it tonight - the Pacific Northwest forecast is typical: mostly cloudy.
FINALLY! The Seattle area was witness to a spellbinding celestial event and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! After sleeping three hours, I woke up at midnight to crank open the roof of the observatory and set up the equipment to enjoy a long, quiet total lunar eclipse from start to finish. More than 100 pictures later, I decided not to go to bed for a nap but to just go to work. It was a long, exhausting day, but well worth it. Equipment used: 12" LX90 GPS Schmidt Cassegrain, Canon EOS 20D, and various accessories.
OMG - I got home from a talent show at my daughter's school and just happened to look up in the sky and see this - the moon and Venus together, a spectacular sight in the sky. With no time to get the observatory open and the equipment powered up, I grabbed the closest camera I could get my hands on and got this photo. Not perfect, but it captures some of the magesty.
Every time I see something as spectacular as the lunar orb in the sky, I think of how beautiful and fragile life is. There, right over our heads, is all the magic, all this beauty and it doesn't cost a thing! It's always there, it can't be taxed, can't be bought or sold. And yet so many just carry on in the hustle and bustle of daily life and never notice it. Last night, I noticed.
This is a photograph of the craters of the moon taken by Jim W. Coleman using a Celestron 8 and an Olympus Digital Camera. The photo was taken in the back yard of a Port Orchard, Washington, home.
