Chasing the Aurora

Looking across Buzzards Bay

There was a notification that solar flare would hit the earth on November 2nd and 3rd with levels that should make it visible as far south as Pennsylvania.  We spent the portion of both nights looking for the Aurora.  The first night was at Gooseberry and the second night was half at the stone barn and half at Gooseberry.

Orion and Pleiades at the Stone Barn

On the first night, although it was supposed to be clear clouds moved in which in themselves gave interesting patents in the sky.  We observed Orion rising and chasing the Pleiades.

Orion and Pleiades

Along with a number of bright meteors probably due to the southern Taurids and possibly the Orionids.  When trying to photograph meteors.  The hardest part is to determine where in the sky that they will appear.  The maps show the radiant point, where the meteor showers originate from.  However, they can be anywhere in the sky.  Knowing the radiant point, you try to be 45° off the radiant point and hopefully capture a meteor in your photo.  In fact, tonight November 4, the South Taurids peak and they are known to produce exceptionally bright meteors known as fireballs.  Over the two days, we saw a good number of very bright meteors.  However, I only captured one meteor in the two nights of shooting.

One Meteor above Orion

At Gooseberry, looking north, I photographed a couple of 15-minute-star trails both nights.  The first night. The lower portion of the photograph was burnt out because of light pollution.

Star Trails

Star Trails

The waning Crescent moon appears over the Western horizon, illuminating a portion of the sky and the ocean waters with an orange glow.  On the second night photographing the rising of the moon and adjusting the pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop, we could see the Aurora that the camera captured even though we could not see it with our naked eyes.

Rising Waning Crescent Moon with Clouds in the Sky

Aurora

Aurora

The temperature range from the high 40s to the low 50s and there was practically no wind, and it was comfortable being out photographing.

Comet Lovejoy and Other Space Objects

Pleiades, Comet Lovejoy, meteor and the Triangulam Galaxy

The Comet Lovejoy is still visible, but growing dimmer as it progresses through the sky.  The other night I went to the parking lot at Horseneck beach and was able to photograph the Comet just to the right of the Pleiades and also captured the Triangulum Galaxy which is also known as M33 plus a meteor.  If we still have some clear nights it's getting to be one of your last chances to see of photograph the Comet Lovejoy

information

Path of the Comet from Sky and Telescope

The Pleiades

The Pleiades

There are many tales in mythology about the Pleiades.  The tale that I learned many years ago was that the Pleiades, the seven sisters, are being Pursued by, Orion the Mighty Hunter, and that the Pleiades are being protected by Taurus the Bull.  The Pleiades reside in the shoulder of Taurus.

Here is information taken from Wikipedia on the Pleiades.  "The Pleiades (pron.: /ˈplaɪ.ədiːz/ or /ˈpliːədiːz/; Ancient Greek: Πλειάδες [pleːádes], Modern [pliˈaðes]), companions of Artemis, were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. They are the sisters of Calypso, Hyas, the Hyades, and the Hesperides. The Pleiades were nymphs in the train of Artemis, and together with the seven Hyades were called the Atlantides, Dodonides, or Nysiades, nursemaids and teachers to the infant Bacchus.

After Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders, Orion began to pursue all of the Pleiades, and Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars to comfort their father. The constellation of Orion is said to still pursue them across the night sky.

One of the most memorable myths involving the Pleiades is the story of how these sisters literally became stars, their catasterism. According to some versions of the tale, all seven sisters committed suicide because they were so saddened by either the fate of their father, Atlas, or the loss of their siblings, the Hyades. In turn Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods, immortalized the sisters by placing them in the sky. There these seven stars formed the constellation known thereafter as the Pleiades."

This week, besides trying to photograph the comet Pan-STARRS, since the sky was so clear and beautiful, I also photographed the Pleiades, Orion and Taurus.

Pleiades in the shoulder of Taurus being pursued by, Orion

Taken last year, Venus in the Pleiades

Jupiter and the Moon

Night sky with Jupiter and the Moon

Today January 21, 2013 in event will occur that will not be repeated until the year 2026. The event is Jupiter being the closest to the moon. I would love to photograph it then tonight, however here in southeastern Massachusetts it will be snowing, so the skies will be obscured by clouds. On the 19th, I did go out to Lake Rico and photographed the sky to show Jupiter closing in on the moon.

Night sky with Jupiter and the Moon - Labeled

Venus and the Pleiades Conjunction

This spring has been great for conjunctions in the sky.  In February, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon were in conjunction in March.  There was another conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon.
The following is from the NASA Science News Website:
"This week the second planet from the sun will pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It's a rare sunset conjunction that's easy to find with the unaided eye, but best seen through binoculars or a small telescope.
The action begins on Monday evening, April 2nd, when Venus enters the outskirts of the little dipper-shaped asterism. Look west at sunset for Venus--it's the brightest thing around--then scan the area using binoculars. The conjunction will be immediately clear. The best evening to look is Tuesday, April 3rd, when the brilliant planet glides just south of the dipper's bowl. Venus exits by the handle on Wednesday, April 4th. Venus passes through the Pleiades in this way about once every 8 years.
To say this is a mixture of dissimilar things would be an understatement. This week the second planet from the sun will pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster. It's a rare sunset conjunction that's easy to find with the unaided eye, but best seen through binoculars or a small telescope.
The Pleiades are elusive. You rarely find them on purpose. They're best seen out of the corner of your eye, a pretty little surprise that pops out of the night sky when you're staring elsewhere.
Venus is just the opposite. Dazzling, bright enough to cast faint shadows, it beams down from the heavens and grabs you when you're not even looking.
The Pleiades, also known as the "Seven Sisters," are a cluster of young stars. They formed barely 100 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs on Earth from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas. The biggest and brightest members are blue-white and about five times wider than our own sun.
Because of their distance, about 400 light years away, the Pleiades are near the limit of naked-eye visibility. When Venus joins them in conjunction, it will look like a supernova has gone off inside the cluster. Venus's thick clouds reflect so much sunlight, the planet outshines every thing in the night sky except the Moon. Strangely, though, the Pleiades do not look puny in comparison, just delicately beautiful. "
I took the above picture this evening, utilizing a 300 mm lens with a 1.4 converter and the only post processing that I performed was noise reduction.  The rays of Venus occurred in camera.
So if you have a chance, and the weather allows it, go outside tomorrow, April 3, 2012, around 9 PM and look in the Western sky for Venus brightly shining in the Pleiades.