PCW Memorial Observatory – Erika Rix

Sunday just before dawn, we were treated with a beautiful conjunction of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and giant red star Aldebaran to the East in the constellation Taurus. The Pleiades, M45, was an added bonus set above the scene. My buddy, Steph Hansen, came over for the weekend and we set our alarm clocks so that we wouldn’t miss out. I set up the tripod and camera and then began taking photos with minor adjustments to focus and settings, trying to dodge the thin layer of clouds moving across the sky. I have a couple photos of M45 but couldn’t fit both that and the other four in the same frame.

In the photo, Jupiter is at the top, Aldebaran to the right, Venus at the bottom and the waning crescent Moon at the left.

Steph (left) and me (right) visiting the Longhorn Cavern state park Saturday before the conjunction.

~ by Erika Rix on July 15, 2012.

Posted in Conjunction, Conjunction, Conjunction, Jupiter, Lunar Observations, Lunar Observations 2012, Venus
Tags: aldebaran, conjunction, crescent, Jupiter, Moon, Venus, waning