2009 February 23 | Mike Salway

23rd February 2009

Photos of the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury & Mars Conjunction

I just love Moon and Planet conjunctions, and I just love early morning photography. When the two combine that’s when I hope to create something special. On the morning of the 23rd February, a beautiful conjunction rose in the pre-dawn sky. The Crescent Moon with earthshine on display shone brilliantly in the East as it was joined by three other celestial bodies, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars to give a sense of depth and feeling to the morning skies.

For ages last night I sat in bed wondering where to go to photograph this marvellous sight… wondering if it would be cloudy, would it be clear, would the skies provide the same dramatic scenery as I was presented for the Smiley Face Conjunction, would I remember the spare batteries, my tripod, the remote switch, would the alarm wake me up or would I sleep through it?!

Luckily, everything came together for a beautiful morning of photography and I was able to capture some stunning images of the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars conjunction.