Dance of the Planets

Our solar system has nine wonderful planets, each with a distinct personality.  With time, this page will display planetary photographs as they become available.  Currently eight of the nine planets have been identified with Pluto being the last holdout.  Pictures of the region have been recently taken however, I have not collected enough information to find it in the star field.  IT WILL HAPPEN SOON!  I am hot on its heels!  Stay tuned!  I have not photographed Mercury with the new telescope.  For now, just photographs in the sky will have to do.  Also, I will endeavor to take much better pics of Jupiter and Saturn as my elementary photography techniques were the rule when these planets were visible.  Hey, I'm getting better with it.  Astrophotography is very difficult!  At any rate.....enjoy.....

Mercury
The God of Speed

Venus
The Goddess of Love

Crescent Moon and Venus

Mars
The God of War

On August 27, 2003, Mars will be making its closest approach to Earth in over 55,500 years!  It will be just under 35 million miles from Earth on the morning of August 27.  Features of the planet can be viewed with just about any type of telescope.  The most prominent feature will be the southern ice cap.  Locally, Mars will rise in the southeastern sky around 9:30 PM and reach maximum height after midnight local time.  While the planet is low on the horizon, atmospheric disturbances will cause the planet to "wave" or "shake" while viewing.  This phenomena lessens as the planet rises higher in the sky.

August 15, 2003

Jupiter
God of Light and Sky

The better photographs of Jupiter are yet to come.  The ones shown below were taken when I first got my telescope and the photography techniques were quite bad.  When Jupiter appears in the evening sky once again later this winter, much better photographs will be posted.  Jupiter is often one of the brightest objects in the sky.  When viewed through a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, the four large moons can often be observed.  With larger telescopes, the planet's striations and the great red spot can be seen.  Sometimes the moon's will eclipse the planet casting a shadow on the surface.

Jupiter and its four Galilean moons.  Photo taken March 19, 2004.

Saturn
God of Agriculture

Ah Saturn, perhaps the most spectacular body in our solar system.  With its majestic rings, Saturn is often a crowd pleaser in most viewing venues.  The photo below does the planet little justice to its true beauty.  Looking through the lens of the scope, one can see a very crisp image of the planet complete with the planet's shadow being cast on the rings, the ring boundaries, atmospheric banding, and some of its moons.  A jewel in the sky indeed. 

January 11, 2004

Uranus
God of the Sky

Uranus presents itself as a beautiful blue-green sphere in the sky.  This planet orbits the sun with a high tilt, with its poles pointing nearly directly at the sun.  The planet is somewhat difficult to see and usually requires a larger scope for viewing.  For a little cosmic humor, the pronunciation of the planet rivals the speaking of Comet Haley!  It is pronounced, " yoo-ray'-nuhs", not "your anus" like the Beavis and Butthead characters (heh heh heh, hee, hee, you said ......).

August 15, 2003

Neptune
God of the Sea

August 15, 2003

Pluto
God of the Underworld

Our most distant planet, Pluto, is a very small world and is very elusive so say the least.  I took the photograph below on the evening of August 15th of a region of the sky where Pluto is supposed to be.  Take your pick!  I will be doing a series of photographs of the area of sky where Pluto is supposed to be located and eventually which bright spot of light is the planet.

Pluto is part of what some astronomers call a double planet system because of its proportionally large moon, Charon.  The two bodies actually orbit in tandem much like two skaters holding hands and spinning in a circle.  Some astronomers classify Pluto as a planetoid as opposed to a true planet.