APY Masterclass - Capturing Venus and the Moon
BBC Sky at Night Magazine|August 2022
Lighting Venus's crescent and the lunar limb evenly is no small feat
APY Masterclass - Capturing Venus and the Moon

Ever since I first became interested in astronomy, I have been fascinated by the iconic images of Earth rising above the lunar horizon from the Apollo missions. When I realised that the Moon's occultation of Venus, visible on 19 June 2020, would give me the opportunity to capture a similar image for myself, it immediately became one of my astrophotography aims of that year. I decided to capture the event with a very narrow field of view in order to enhance the 'crescent over lunar horizon' feeling and I also wanted to capture the event in colour to record the daylight blue sky. To achieve this, I used my Celestron C11 equipped with a colour planetary camera at prime focus.

In order to achieve a natural look to the image, I chose short exposures so as not to oversaturate bright Venus. This made the crescent Moon's limb barely visible in the shots (see image, right). To compensate for this low contrast I had my planetary camera's gain set to zero, so the noise in individual frames would be as low as possible. Unfortunately, some low cloud moved in during the capture a few seconds after the Moon began to hide Venus, and obscured the scene. When the sky was blue again, Venus had totally disappeared, so I took more shots of the Moon, this time with longer exposures to better reveal the details of the lunar limb.

Stacking Venus

This story is from the August 2022 edition of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2022 edition of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BBC SKY AT NIGHT MAGAZINEView All
Water, Water, Everywhere?
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Water, Water, Everywhere?

Penny Wozniakiewicz investigates why astronomers are so concerned with finding water in the Solar System, and why it is vital to our exploration of space

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2023
O&A WITH AN ECLIPSE CHASER
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

O&A WITH AN ECLIPSE CHASER

On 14 October 2023, an annular eclipse passed across mainland USA. Comedian and stargazer Jon Culshaw was there to witness it

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Bresser ISA Space Exploration NASA 70/700 AZ telescope
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Bresser ISA Space Exploration NASA 70/700 AZ telescope

This beginners' package has everything you need to see the Sun, Moon and planets

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Ursa Major 6-inch f/8 Planetary Dobsonian
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Ursa Major 6-inch f/8 Planetary Dobsonian

A decent option for would-be planetary observers on a limited budget

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Use freeware to create star trail images
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Use freeware to create star trail images

How to turn your frames into beautiful star trail photos in a few clicks

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Venus's hostile atmosphere
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Venus's hostile atmosphere

Katrin Raynor takes a look at a planet where the skies boil and the clouds rain acid

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Build your EYEPIECE COLLECTION
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Build your EYEPIECE COLLECTION

Great eyepieces are crucial to any astronomical setup. Here Tim Jardine arms you with the info you need to choose the best ones to invest in

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2023
THE BIG THREE
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

THE BIG THREE

The top sights to observe or image this month

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2023
The remains of CREATION UNDERSTANDING THE CMB
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

The remains of CREATION UNDERSTANDING THE CMB

Left over from the Big Bang, the cosmic microwave background gives astronomers an insight into the entire history of our Universe. Ezzy Pearson explains

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2023
A December GRAND TOUR
BBC Sky at Night Magazine

A December GRAND TOUR

Just like the epic journeys of the Voyager probes to our Solar System's outer planets, this tour takes you to the gas and ice giants as they line up in the night sky this month. Stuart Atkinson is your guide

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2023