Hello from New Mexico. I hope everyone had a great week. Tomorrow there will be a celestial event happening, a Lunar Occultation of Venus. I’ve shot this event back in December 2015. Below are the images. It’s a daytime event that can be seen across north America and will occur in New Mexico on June 17, 2026 between 12:17 pm and 4:43 pm. Get your binoculars or long lenses and look for the crescent moon.
Weather permitting, I hope to get some good images and look forward to sharing them next week. Enjoy.
Greetings from San Cristobal. On the evening of June 21, the summer solstice, the planets Venus and Mars showed up with the crescent Moon anchored by the sunset clouds. The beauty of this world is just outside the door and perfectly poised for our viewing pleasure. Franz Kafka put it more eloquently than I did.
“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Franz Kafka
Crescent Moon and Venus.
Zoom in on this second shot to see planet Mars on the upper left edge of the picture. I didn’t see it with my eyes or through the lens at first. It was a pleasant surprise when it magically appeared (pardon me) out of the blue.
Planets, Venus, Mars, and Crescent Moon.
Sometimes I poke my camera through a window, a window in a building that I’ve passed many times, and find a surprise before me. A broken window helped me access this scene in a gas station on US 285 in Colorado. It reminds me of the upright piano in my grandparent’s house where I lived growing up in Wales. Our upright piano was more ornate, with two candle holders on either side. I was always encouraged to tap on the keys. My grandparents were very tolerant. I never did learn to play the piano.
Piano room.
This week, just outside the back door, the daylilies are blooming. On the other side of the house, outside the front door, the Apache plume has filled out and glistens in the morning sun. Here’s a shot of the Apache Plume in the afternoon rain.
Daylily shot and edited on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Looking outwards or looking inward, there’s plenty to discover. I find sitting still offers me a perspective that suits me well, plus I’m good at spending time doing absolutely nothing. Ask my wife!
VLA, Very Large Array with Mars on the Plains Of San Augustine, New Mexico. I made a quick overnight trip south to meet my friend Larry to photograph the Very Large Array (The National Radio Astronomy Observatory) on the Plains of San Augustine near Magdelena, N.M. We wanted to get some of the antennas lined up with the Milky Way, Mars, the Moon, and Venus. In the image below, Mars appears to be acquired by the antenna. The trail of lights is a steady stream of employee cars arriving at 6 am this morning. They used to arrive by shuttle buses, Covid 19 changed that. More to follow. Thanks for looking. G
Big Dipper with Ute Mountain in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. The scene is lit by the moon that rose earlier tethered to Mars in the eastern sky. I’ve added a photo below. It was very peaceful after all the people looking for campsites left the area as the campgrounds are shut due to the Covid-19 health order. Thanks for looking. G
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
Mars with Lunar occultation (covered), 02-18-2020. Mars crept out from behind the Moon and appeared through the clouds this morning. Shortly after I made this image at 5:57am the clouds dispersed. Had I stirred from my sleep a couple of hours earlier I would have been able to observe Mars get swallowed up by the bright crescent. Thanks for looking. G
