A special thanks to Derrek Y. for his intrigued look at the planets! It is time to celebrate! Celebrate what you ask? How about a relatively uncommon planetary alignment? Right after sunset along the western horizon, you will be able to see Saturn, Mars, and Venus move across the sky. Over the next month, watch this part of the sky as these three planets move closer to each other before finally setting below the horizon. Location: Oak Creek Park, Lincoln, NE Date: 2010-07-05 Camera: Canon XSi (Hap Griffin Modified) Lens: Sigma 10mm Fisheye f/2.8 Mount: Still Tripod Shot: 1x0.4 second at f/2.8 ISO 800 Processing: Photoshop
While it may appear that this giant crane is causing the moon to rise, in reality, the rotation of the Earth combined with the Moon orbiting the Earth is what makes the moon appear to rise and set. This forced perceptive image was taken two days before a full moon, when approximately 96% of the lunar surface that we can see from Earth was illuminated by direct sunlight. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we see over the course of a 14-day cycle, the change in the amount of light reflecting from the moon, by the sun - from a full moon, to a half moon, then finally to a new moon (no direct illumination) and then back again. Location: University of Nebraska - Lincoln Date: 2010-06-28 Camera: Canon XT Lens: Canon 70-300mm f/4.5-f/5.6 USM Mount: Handheld Shot: 1x1/1000th second at 75mm f/5.6 ISO 400 Processing: Photoshop
