|
|
|
|
|
Photographs of
The Night Sky
by Martin J. Powell
Except where stated otherwise, the following astronomical photographs were taken using a standard 35mm format SLR camera, on ISO 200 film. All of the photographs have been contrast-enhanced using computer software.
Click on the thumbnails to see full-size versions
|
Orion & its Neighbouring Constellations Taken from West Wales, UK (latitude 52º North) in November 1999, this two and a half minute
exposure includes the easily identifiable constellation of Orion (the
Hunter) and its
neighbours Monoceros, Canis Minor, Lepus and Hydra. Arcing to the
North and North-east of Orion are the zodiacal constellations of Taurus,
Gemini and Cancer. The haze extending downwards to the left of Orion
is a faint section of the Milky Way. The brightest star in the night sky - Sirius (
The approximate field of view of the picture is 76 degrees wide by 50 degrees high (using a 24mm wide-angle lens). The faintest stars visible are around 6th magnitude (the approximate naked eye limit).
For an annotated version of the photograph click here.
Note that from the Southern hemisphere, looking Northwards, these constellations appear inverted.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Jupiter & Star Trails Taken from Honiton, Devon in May 1990. The camera shutter was left
open for over an hour, causing the stars to leave curved trails on the film
as the Earth slowly rotated. Jupiter formed the brightest trail (bottom of
picture) as it set in the North-west. Jupiter was situated in the
constellation Gemini. Its two brightest stars - Castor (
Approximately two-thirds up the picture, a series of faint dots can be seen horizontally across the picture. These were strobe lights from an aircraft which crossed the field of view during the exposure time.
For photos, descriptions and details on how to find the planets in the night sky, visit the NakedEyePlanets website.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Ursa Major & its Northerly Neighbours The picture was taken looking Northwards from a rural location in West Wales in November 1999, at around 2130 UT. Ursa Major (The Great Bear, which contains the seven-star asterism commonly known as The Plough or The Big Dipper) is seen low down in the sky along with its much less prominent neighbours Draco, Lynx, Camelopardalis and Ursa Minor.
Draco and Camelopardalis are circumpolar from latitudes north of ca. 40º North and are visible all year round from these latitudes. Similarly, Ursa Minor (The Little Bear) is visible all year round from latitudes north of ca. 25º North.
In Ursa Major, Mizar (
For an annotated version of the photograph click here.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Comet Hale-Bopp from the Country One of the rare truly bright comets of the 20th century, Hale-Bopp graced our skies during the Spring of 1997. This photograph was taken from the Vale of Glamorgan (South Wales) on 30th March 1997 at 2130 UT. The comet was about 20 degrees high in the North-west, in the constellation of Andromeda.
The photo was a 40 second exposure using a 70mm lens at f /3.5. The film used was ISO 400.
[Click here for a detailed account of Comet Hale-Bopp's apparition.]
|
||||||||||||||
|
Comet Hale-Bopp from the City Another view of Comet Hale-Bopp, taken from the city of Cardiff, UK on 31st March 1997. The extent of sky glow from the street lights of the nearby housing estate can clearly be seen. Despite the light pollution, it is possible to detect the two tails of the comet in this picture. The dust tail is the most obvious, curving slightly towards the upper right, and there is a much fainter, bluish-coloured gas tail, facing upwards at a much steeper angle. The picture was taken just 7 hours ahead of the comet's closest approach to the Sun (known as the perihelion).
The photo was a 30 second exposure using a 50mm lens at f /3.5. The film used was ISO 400.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Orion Rising Orion rises in the East with the V-shaped Hyades cluster (in Taurus) above it. To its West are the constellations of Cetus and Eridanus.
For an annotated version of the photograph click here.
The picture was taken from West Wales in November 1999, at around 2130 UT. Orion can also be seen rising on the following dates and approximate local times:
Orion reaches its highest point in the sky some six hours after it rises, when it crosses the observer's meridian (due South for Northerly latitudes; due North for Southerly latitudes). It sets in the West a further six hours later.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Lunar Eclipse If, when at full phase, the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow in space, an eclipse of the Moon takes place. Lunar eclipses always precede or follow a solar eclipse, with two weeks in between. Like solar eclipses, they can be either total or partial.
As the eclipse progresses, the shadow is seen to move across the Moon (in the photo shown, from upper left to lower right) until the Moon is completely immersed in the shadow. The curvature of the Earth can be seen along the line of the shadow. During totality, the Moon often turns a coppery colour due to red light being refracted from the Earth's atmosphere on to the lunar surface (ie. the combined light of all the sunrises and sunsets which are taking place on the Earth at that particular instant). Lunar eclipses can sometimes appear very dark if major volcanic activity has recently taken place on Earth.
This particular eclipse took place on 21st January 2000. It is shown about 40 minutes before totality, when the Moon was about 40% in shadow.
[Video frame capture] |
Copyright Martin J Powell 2001-2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Site
hosted by |
CMa or Alpha
Canis Majoris) -
is at the bottom of the picture. The ruddy hues of the red giant stars
Betelgeuse (
Gem or Beta Geminorum) - are the
two bright trails just to the upper left of Jupiter. The bright star Capella (
UMa
or Zeta Ursae
Majoris) and Alcor (80 UMa) form a multiple
star system. The two appear as a double star, separated by 11.8
minutes of arc (0°.2), although
this is a line-of sight effect and they are not a true binary system.
Mizar, however, does have a genuine companion close by, but it can
only be resolved in telescopes.
