Another Close Encounter

Venus/Jupiter Conjunction (March 2012)

Well, as promised, here's my second batch of photo's of the recent terrestrial event, known as the Venus/Jupiter Conjunction. I was aware that this 'Meeting' of the planets was due to last only a couple of weeks, so I made every effort to get out there to strike while the iron was hot - this was my second and third attempt to photograph this optical illusion and once again I was presented with a clear night-time sky on both nights - perfect visibility for this kind of photography. My second outing took me on a short car journey to Gateshead, home of the Angel Of The North, where I was very hopeful of landing some good shots, as I usually shoot the sculpture when facing West, the same direction the conjunction appears to the viewer. On arrival I had the place to myself, apart from my 11 year old son who was 'Helping Dad' by posing in the frame, here and there, Lowepro bag weighing him down! (see picture 1). Once again, the inclusion of people offer a sense of scale to the shot, so if you've never visited the Angel you'll get a rough idea of its size when compared to the 'Extra's' in the frame. Mind you, it's a pain in the arse when folk start climbing onto the feet of the sculpture as this spoils the photograph and I usually rely on Photoshop to bail me out with the odd bit of brush work. Luckily this time round the group of youngsters didn't bother with climbing routine, so there was no need for me to run at them with an extended tripod, he he. Sensible Geordies they were - I never knew they existed!

So there I am, for a short time, probably ten minutes or so, pulling in a half dozen shots of the Angel with Venus and Jupiter lending themselves to the shots. As night fell rather quickly I was running with 30 second exposures. Any more loss of light and I was heading quickly towards Bulb Mode, a function that allows shutter speeds of beyond 30 seconds, which is the maximum speed when shooting in Manual mode (my preferred function mode for low-light photography). For the tech heads amongst you, I made these pictures with a Canon 7D, with an attached 10-22mm wide angle lens, fired remotely with the camera sat on Manfrotto legs. The unwritten rule applied - image recorded in RAW format, highest possible resolution and the lowest possible ISO setting of 100, to give crystal clear 'No Noise' clarity when printed out at A2 size (25x17 inches). Those remote control units are priceless! I got my hands on a piece of cheap Chinese rubbish via eBay, which actually does a brilliant job - it does as it says on the box (Yes folks, I do know the odd word or two of Chinese ya know...............................Chow Mein! Oh no, here I go again, turning the subject towards food once again! Sorry about that. Yes, the small hand-held transmitter communicates with a receiver that slides onto the camera hot shoe. With a range of 50 metres the transmitter triggers the shutter and Bob's yer Uncle. At a price of just eleven sheets ya can't get robbed. Camera shake is most definitely a thing of the past. God bless the Chinese!

And I wasn't done there. The very next night I was at it again. Penshaw Monument was the venue again, just like my first excursion to photograph the Venus/Jupiter Conjunction. This time there was another guest to the show - the Moon. Sitting close to the two planets, my luck was in and conditions were once again very favourable, so three planets make up my last batch of shots, shown here. Penshaw Monument - let's av it...

Ash

A Very Close Encounter

In all the years I've been making photographs, I don't recall a time when I recorded a terrestrial event, on film, transparency or digital media. I had no interest in Star Trek and rubbish of that particular ilk - infact, the only stars I remember seeing were the ones spinning around my head after a heavy night out on the tiles during my earlier 'Social' years. Ahh, memories.

So before the skeletons threaten to burst out of my cupboard I dramatically swich tack and quickly return this blog post to a semblance of normality, in the shape of my first ever 'Close Encounter'. No, I won't pretend I was recently abducted by aliens or any such nonsense - this was an event that I recorded on memory card, and I'm ready to share the results. Let me aquaint you with the details of my search for the planets in question - A search that didn't take long, in all honesty. A look over my shoulder during a meal was when the TV grabbed my attention. The local weather bulletin on ITV , presented by Philippa Tomson, informed viewers that during the last two weeks of March 2012, the two planets, Jupiter and Venus appear to be at their closest point in the sky, approximately 3 degrees apart, and a clear night time sky would offer the ideal opportunity to view this 'Close Encounter' when looking West. The two planets have been travelling in a westerly direction across the Northern Hemisphere and the phenomenon is known as the 'Venus & Jupiter Conjunction'. It is however, an optical illusion!

The whole world can see the two bright lights in the west after sunset now, but, for the Northern Hemisphere, mid-March 2012 presents the best time to see a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in the evening for years to come. At mid-northern latitudes, these two brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – stay out for nearly four hours after sunset. That’s about the longest period possible at these latitudes. No matter where you are on Earth now, you can’t miss these two worlds in the west as darkness falls. In the opposite direction at nightfall – looking east – you can’t miss the ruddy planet Mars. This world won’t be so brilliant in our sky again until April 2014. Mars shines from dusk till dawn, whereas Venus and Mars set four hours after sunset at mid-northern latitudes.

And what better location to photograph this event - the summit of a fairly steep hill in my neck of the woods, with a well-known iconic landmark thrown in for good measure. Yes, it just has to be Penshaw Monument, illuminated and displayed in all its glory - visible for miles and dominating the Wearside skyline. Let's go!
I was up the hill for a good hour, from the fall of darkness, to the point where the sky was black and my job was done and dusted. I had the place to myself - even the previously ever-present cattle had gone AWOL, adding to an already definate sense of isolation at the top of Penshaw Hill. It was nippy, as expected, but when you're in concentration mode you tend not to feel the cold too much. Two fleeces and a body warmer kept the chill at bay. I must have stood in at least a dozen piles of cow-shit as I switched shooting position on the hill top - aye, you just know what's under foot when your boots slide about, here, there and everywhere. I must have spent an unnecessary 5 minutes wiping me boots on the grass before getting back into the car. All part and parcel of 'Shooting In The Field', so to speak. It was worth it though - very satisfied with the shots I pulled in. Here are a couple of them...

I'm planning to photograph the 'Venus & Jupiter Conjunction' again over the weekend, at another well-known site in the North-East. Coming next...
Ash