Have you noticed the two bright objects in the Western sky after sunset ? They are Venus (brightest) and Jupiter, who are heading for a 'conjunction' (close passage) in the next few days. Venus is moving West-to-East and Jupiter is moving East-to-West. This 'conjunction' will not happen again for many years, so take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy this rare event.
Taking pictures of Deep Space Objects can be challenging, fun and rewarding, especially when hours of imaging produces a frame-worthy photo. However, taking photographs of stars, or planets (in this case) can produce a 'boring' picture, filled with black sky and a few points of light, unless you tap into your inner-creativity to make them more exciting.
I set out this evening (03/10/2012) to take a few pictures of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction in a natural setting. What I got was an even more rare event than I was expecting. While photographing the planetary alignment, other forces of nature also lined up to make for an interesting photo. As Veuns and Jupiter emerged from dusk's fading light, I was treated to a colorful sunset that reflected off the water and the silhouette of curious Swan that slowly swam toward me.
Until next time ...