Twas the night before the big Jupiter & Saturn conjunction and all through the sky not a creature was stirring except my Nikon clicking away!
I shot these two this evening from my heavily treed backyard. Photo settings were as follows: 100mm, F/5.6, 2.5 second exposure and ISO1600 with a Nikon D5100.
At first glance you might think there is not much to see here, and if you were expecting the festoons of Jupiter or Saturn’s rings you’d be right but looking closer you can definitely make out a few things. Jupiter is clearly brighter than Saturn and Saturn is more orange in color than Jupiter. You can just see a hint of the Galilean moons around Jupiter as well.
This is just a reminder that the planets will be at their closest tomorrow evening December 21, 2020. You will want a good view of the southwest sky and good weather of course. If you intend to take some photos with your camera I’d suggest a 100-400mm lens. A tripod is a must in order to keep the vibration down. Be sure and use the camera’s timer function or remote control to fire off your shots. Touching the camera in any way is going to spoil your shot. To resolve any details on the planets you are going to need a larger lens or better yet a telescope. The difference in brightness between the two planets and their moons will introduce issues. Don’t be surprised if you have to shoot each planet individually (even though they are visible in the same field of view) and go back later in Photoshop to blend your two good exposures together. Experiment with different focal lengths (if you are using a camera lens), ISOs and exposures until you get something you can use. If you are going to use a telescope you’re also going to need an EQ mount to track the planets. This is not an easy event to shoot but those that are willing to put in the work and have the right gear will come away with some amazing shots.
I hope you have clear skies tomorrow evening and get a chance to see the two biggest solar system planets as they cozy up to each other.
Happy hunting!
Scott