Spica and Saturn picture close up...Hmm

This is the best photo I can get of Spica or Saturn, the brightest star in the sky, not the one below it. You sure that's a star or planet? Going through the other pictures.

second pic?

reply to post by burntoast




It's too shaped to be star or planet.

Maybe it's a satellite or something.

reply to post by Manhater


Thats usually what Venus looks like when I am able to dial it in, usually it is a bit harder to gain focus on. You will know saturn because you will see the rings fairly well. But what I think you are probably looking at is Venus which right now is very close to but below Jupiter setting on the west shortly after dusk. It is the brightest (star or )planet in the sky.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


According to this, it's Saturn and not Venus. That's what I thought at first too.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Manhater


Oh I thought that was an image captured through a telescope. But since it is just a picture I guess it could be anything. Kinda hard to know without knowing which direction the camera was pointing and at what time etc.

It's hard to capture through a telescope, unless you have a special camera attached to it. When I took a picture of Saturn through a telescope years ago, it looked like a golden necklace or simply a shiny curved line

reply to post by Imtor


Yeah, I was trying to get a picture through telescope but I wasn't really getting an image out of it. Just the pink in the middle and blue on the outside. I'll try again tonight if it doesn't rain. This is just from the camera itself.

Yep, some of the newer ones can dial them in and snap photos. Mine are not that cool but I have rigged different methods of capturing with mixed results.

Although without a telescope the best way I have found is to use a camera an tripod. Change the exposure time to 4-8 seconds point and shoot. I have found some interesting things that way.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


4-8, Ok will do.

Kid was was messing with my camera, so probably changed my settings on me.

I'll re-check it.

reply to post by Manhater


All digital camera setting usually vary, so you can mess with the f-stop and shutter speeds to. Just remember that the earth is constantly rotating so if you let the exposure go too long it will create a trail. You can zoom in optically all the way unless you are taking a wider shot and you might get better detail. Once on your computer you can zoom in and crop quite a bit also depending on the megapixels on your camera.

Maybe later I will post some of my pics for you.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


Ok thanks, yeah, post some pictures please.

Thank you.

Venus is above Jupiter at the moment to the west in the UK - very bright - thougharound half of it is in shadow if you look through a scope.

Saturn rises at around 10pm uk time and isnt that bright - neither is spica.

What time did you take that photo, and where are you based???

reply to post by Manhater


stellarium is set to paris in that image.....probably different to the OP...

reply to post by Manhater


Heres a few, they are super zoomed in and cropped and the file names actually mean nothing. I named them after objects that are familiar, but truth be told I do not know exactly what we are looking at.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


Wow, those came out really nice. Thanks for sharing them. Mine always come out blurry.

reply to post by spolvil


Think I took about 9 or 10PM Eastern time. NC

That second image is quite chilling.

Bizzare to say the least