Planetary alignment this weekend - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

elchivito · #16 02-28-2012, 10:22 AM

I noticed last night that they were essentially lined up again, with the moon on top this time.

pj67coll · #17 02-28-2012, 10:28 AM

I have tried to get pic's using a couple of old filim cameras I have lying around. I don't have very high hopes but I'll send them in for developing at lunchtime today and hopefully I might have one or two decent shots.

- Peter.

dynalow · #18 02-28-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

I have tried to get pic's using a couple of old filim cameras I have lying around. I don't have very high hopes but I'll send them in for developing at lunchtime today and hopefully I might have one or two decent shots.

- Peter.

I went out to a dark road last night and took this.... didn't realize a telephone pole was in the view until the flash went off.

Venus on the bottom.Moon on top, Jupiter visible next to the left of the oval pole reflection
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/dynalow97/moonalign007.jpg

Taken around 19:15 EST

pj67coll · #19 02-28-2012, 10:44 PM

I managed to get a couple of pictures that were halfway decent, out of about 70 exposures! This is just about the best of them I think, taken on Saturday evening when the moon was closest to Venus.

I also tried to see if I could get some constellations in. This one has Orion on the left, Aldebaran and the Hyades in the center and the tiny "little dipper" to the right is Pleiades. Jupiter is the bright blob on the far right. Unfortunately even the 24mm lens wasn't wide enough to get the Moon and Venus in in this shot as well. Camera was a Minolta X700 with a 24mm Soligor lens at F5.6 for the planetary shot and I think about F11 for the one of Orion. I think I held the shutter open for about five seconds on the planets and perhaps about 8 to ten on Orion. I was shooting from my porch roof and using a tripod of course and a cable release. Film was Kodak 400 ASA.

- Peter.

Graplr · #20 02-29-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

I noticed last night that they were essentially lined up again, with the moon on top this time.

The planets, the moon and the sun all travel on (or very near) the ecliptic. Officially the band of planets above and below the ecliptic which the planets travel is call the zodiac. So they are all in more or less the same plane.

Graplr · #21 02-29-2012, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

I managed to get a couple of pictures that were halfway decent, out of about 70 exposures! This is just about the best of them I think, taken on Saturday evening when the moon was closest to Venus.

I also tried to see if I could get some constellations in. This one has Orion on the left, Aldebaran and the Hyades in the center and the tiny "little dipper" to the right is Pleiades. Jupiter is the bright blob on the far right. Unfortunately even the 24mm lens wasn't wide enough to get the Moon and Venus in in this shot as well. Camera was a Minolta X700 with a 24mm Soligor lens at F5.6 for the planetary shot and I think about F11 for the one of Orion. I think I held the shutter open for about five seconds on the planets and perhaps about 8 to ten on Orion. I was shooting from my porch roof and using a tripod of course and a cable release. Film was Kodak 400 ASA.

- Peter.

Very nice.

Mr.Kenny · #22 02-29-2012, 02:44 PM

March 12 they will be the closest.
Yeah, the Mrs. and me walk every evening, and star gaze along the way.

Mistress · #23 02-29-2012, 04:46 PM

thanks for the pics peter.

pj67coll · #24 03-01-2012, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

thanks for the pics peter.

Your'e welcome. But the experience of trying to do this with film cameras has reinforced the idea that I need to turn toa life of crime to finance a good Digital SLR.

- Peter.

MBeige · #25 03-01-2012, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

thanks for the pics peter.

Agreed, they're beautiful. 70 exposures is a lot on film!

I looked at the stars last night and they seem to still be in alignment. Though sometimes I wonder if I get the planets mixed up.

pj67coll · #26 03-01-2012, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBeige

Agreed, they're beautiful. 70 exposures is a lot on film!

I looked at the stars last night and they seem to still be in alignment. Though sometimes I wonder if I get the planets mixed up.

No problem there. Venus is the brighter one and closer to the horizon. Jupiter above it. Thanks for the compliment. You should have seen the problems they had developing them. The scanner couldnt' even find the edges of the frames and chopped off the bottom quarter the first time round. I had to stand there with the manager looking over the individual pic's and selecting them and then printing them again. With all that I still only wound up with a couple of decent ones.

Gotta go digital.

- Peter.