Crescent Moon, Jupiter. 06-14-2023

Geraint June 14, 2023 19 Comments

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.

Crescent Moon, Jupiter, Early Morning, — Crescent Moon, Jupiter, 4:30 am today.

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.

Crescent Moon with earthshine and Jupiter — Crescent Moon with Earthshine and Jupiter with two of its moons.

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

Saint Francis Church, Saturn, Jupiter, Conjunction

Geraint December 21, 2020 10 Comments

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, with Saturn, Jupiter, Conjunction. Jupiter, four moons, and Saturn, a composite image, one focused on the church belfries and the second focused on the planets. Zoom in to see the planets. I hope you got to see it out there. Thanks for looking. G

Saturn, Jupiter, Trees, San Cristobal, NM

Geraint December 7, 2020 6 Comments

Saturn, Jupiter, through the veil of trees off the deck in San Cristobal, NM. The planets are moving closer together, at least from our perspective on this planet. In actuality, they are millions of miles apart. If you have clear skies take a look outside over the next couple of weeks as this great conjunction comes closest on December 22, 2020. Thanks for looking. G

Saturn, Jupiter, With Three Moons, Our Moon

Geraint November 20, 2020 6 Comments

Saturn, Jupiter, with three of its moons, and our Moon. The first photo is a wider view of the arrangement and the second photo is a glimpse of Jupiter and three moons. I hope you can get a look at Jupiter the, brightest light in a generally southwest direction. The moons are visible with a pair of binoculars and good eyesight. Not with my eyes, I need the help of a digital camera. Thanks for looking. G

Jupiter, Jupiter’s Moons, Our Moon

Geraint September 25, 2020 2 Comments

Jupiter, Jupiter’s Moons, our Moon. Last night, looking up from the deck revealed this beautiful alignment of Saturn, Jupiter and four moons with our moon waxing. Saturn was too small and farther away to include in this photo. This photo comprises one exposure for our moon and another for Jupiter and it’s moons. Thanks for looking. Keep looking up. G

Milky Way, Saturn, Jupiter, Antares, Scorpius

Geraint July 12, 2020 8 Comments

Milky Way with Saturn, Jupiter, Antares and the “cat’ eyes” in the constellation Scorpius from San Cristobal, NM. Antares is intriguing as it’s name translates to ‘rival of Mars’, more to do with it’s color than size. In size, Mars is no rival. Scroll down for labels. Thanks for looking. G

Mars, Jupiter, Crescent Moon Conjunction

Geraint March 18, 2020 2 Comments

Mars, Jupiter and Crescent Moon conjunction bright and early this morning from the deck in San Cristobal. A quick look out the bedroom window at 5am. Then out to the deck for this grouping. Mars was clearly discernible and I could just make out two of Jupiter’s moons. Saturn was out there too, way east of the group. I’ve added a shot below. Thanks for looking. G

Conjunction, Venus, Jupiter, Valle Caldera

Geraint November 26, 2019 1 Comment

Conjunction, Venus and Jupiter, (not the closest conjunction this week), southwest over the Valle Caldera in the Jemez Mountains. It’s a beautiful sight across the plateau. This evening, Jupiter has descended below Venus, and is cruising to the horizon and million of miles beyond. The scale of things are mind blowing, yet simple. It doesn’t take much to impress me. In the middle of the pasture, clear skies overhead, standing in awe of things, I wonder… I wonder that there can be anything greater than this. Thanks for looking. G

Venus, Jupiter, Jemez Mountains

Geraint November 23, 2019 No Comments

Venus, Jupiter, Jemez Mountains, and the Valle Caldera. Pulled over here this evening to watch the light fade with Venus and Jupiter setting in our trademarked blue, New Mexico sky. Look southwest tomorrow at dusk for another glimpse of this pair before Jupiter drops out of view as it gets closer to the setting sun. Also keep an eye out for a gorgeous young crescent moon. Thanks for looking. G

Milky Way From The Deck, San Cristobal

Geraint October 1, 2019 2 Comments

Milky Way from the deck in San Cristobal, New Mexico. We stepped outside to see the crescent moon. The stars in the Milky Way were so bright, and Jupiter was dominating the sky above the house. The ambient light in the clouds on the horizon is from Taos. The grasses and trees are lit by a quick flick of the flashlight. I’m always inspired by the night sky in northern New Mexico where we live, some times to make an image and other times to just stand in awe. Thanks for looking. G

Geraint Smith Photography

Tag: Jupiter