how to…image a conjunction
At the end of the month there will be a meeting between three bodies in our Solar System before sunrise. Here’s how to capture the stunning celestial close encounter
The Moon will rise past not just one, but two bright planets
Cross your fingers for clear skies on the last two mornings of January; if the weather cooperates we’ll be able to see something very pretty
– a gathering of two bright planets and the Moon low in the southeast before sunrise. You’ll need no special equipment to see this cosmic collection because all three objects are easily visible to the naked eye, but if you want to photograph it you will need a good camera on a tripod, and a suitable observing site too.
Seeing the Moon and planets will mean a very early start: aim to be at your observing site by 5:30am on the 30th. You’ll see a beautiful waning crescent Moon low in the sky, with bright Jupiter down to its lower left. Down to Jupiter’s lower left, just clearing the horizon, you’ll spot Venus, much brighter than Jupiter.
With either a 50mm lens or a kit 18-55mm lens fitted to it, set up your DSLR camera on its sturdy tripod and point it towards the
Moon and planets. With your camera set to Manual mode, set its ISO to 800 at first. Set the exposure length according to the lens you’re using: 20 seconds for a wide-angle lens or five seconds for a 50mm. Finally, fit the camera with a cable release – essential for helping reduce vibrations – and then, with ‘Autofocus’ turned off, manually focus your camera sharply on either Venus or Jupiter. Then take your first photo by pressing the cable release.
Take a look at your first image and change your settings if necessary: increase the ISO if it’s too dark, reduce the exposure time if the
Moon and planets are burned out. Then just experiment with different combinations of settings until you’re happy with the result. Then, keeping those settings, wander around your site taking photos of the Moon and planets with different foregrounds to add variety – taking exactly the same image again and again will be boring.
Back home, be careful not to overprocess your images. Just do enough processing to show the different colours of Jupiter and Venus and the Moon’s slim crescent.
“Seeing the Moon and planets will mean a very early start”