Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. To the moon and Jupiter.
It was 3 am this morning when I awoke. I went straight back to sleep! 4:20 am came and I was dressed in the dining room opening the window to view the crescent moon and Jupiter. I planned on getting up early to observe this celestial event but I’d gotten a tetanus shot yesterday and felt groggy most of the afternoon. I was going to set the alarm, but I fell asleep around 9:30 pm. Fortunately for my plans, all was well when I awoke. I was alert and ready to watch as the moon and Jupiter rose over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, visible from our home.
The tripod was absent without leave! Buried in the back of the car, I think.
It was getting brighter by the minute so I took a pass on finding the tripod deciding to handhold the camera, bracing myself against the window frame. Fortunately, I’ve had experience with a missing tripod before, so I proceeded as I’ve done in the past and the image below came out just as I expected.
Looking through the viewfinder and the telephoto lens I was able to make out two faint moons of Jupiter. There are 95 known moons of the massive planet. I braced myself against the window frame again and shot a long exposure for the image below.
The silence before dawn is palpable. There’s a quiet hush that permeates everything. No dogs, sheep, roosters, or birds. At the stroke of some silent alarm, that only critters can hear, the whole valley woke up twenty minutes later. I now know who owns the barking mad dog!
A tree is still a tree, dead or alive. This tree has now gone. It vanished in a housing development. Goodbye tree.
As always. Thanks for looking. G
19 thoughts on “Crescent Moon, Jupiter. 06-14-2023”
Sooty about tetanus shot side effects… amazing captions of earth shine and Jupiter – we had cloudy overcast. Will you try for Venus near the Behive tonight?
I get one every ten years. I was a couple of years off schedule. Thank you for your compliments. I be looking out for Venus tonight. But will probably be asleep soon! G
wow!
Thanks so much, Ron. I hope you are well. G
Well done, Young Man
Thank you so much, Larry. G
Excellent job of filling the frame on “Bare Trees”!
Thanks so much, Gregg. I appreciate your compliment. G
Thank goodness for window frames . . . and porch posts and car hoods and the like! Envious of your view and your silence. The birds here in Ohio, though, do have that same wake-up and sing time. Amazing images, as always.
Thank you so much, Patricia. I remember the trip we did. The places we went. The lizard on the bridge over the Rio Chama. G
Utterly masterful, G! Both the moons of Jupiter and the iconic branching of the bare tree. You bring us such unforgettable images. Profound thanks!!
Thank you so much, Steve. I really appreciate that. I hope you are well. G
Love the dead tree, Geraint! I’ve been focusing on trees myself in some of my work. They make great subjects dead or alive. BTW…did you ever take the photo tour to the Isle of Skye?
Thanks so much , Peter. No, I never did set anything up for tours to Skye but I do have the name of a guide there if you want it. I referred some people to him this year. Let me know if you want his details. G
Love the bare tree photo. And the sky shot plus the explanation of how it got done. Good process and awareness produce these rewards. Salute. jim
Thanks so much , Jim. Your pictures of trees continue to inspire me. I hope your well . G
Even with image stabilization these days, your handheld is very impressive, Geraint! And I’m with you on trees – hate to see ANY of them go, dead or alive. Paul
Thanks so much, Paul. Your images of birds get more stunning each time I see them. When are you down this way next? G
Thanks for your kind words, Geraint. I don’t have anything planned but I have the itch to get down there – will definitely check with you beforehand. By the way, I have a fun new article coming out in a day or two.