Jupiter, Venus and M44!

[WCGucfa]

Hey Guys,
As you know, the western sky is heating up! Jupiter has recently entered the boundaries of Cancer, having been bumped by Leo, and seems to be zooming at top speed to meet up with Venus. Getting an image of these beacons just became too irresistible for me!
I got an extra surprise when I packed up my camera and went inside to choose the best of four takes. It turns out, I had unknowingly captured open cluster M44 between the two. During my first exposures, the sky simply wasn't dark enough to pick up the cluster and I didn't even think of it, with the two planets stealing the show. If you can't see the tight little bunch of stars, just look for the triangle of faint stars between the two trees with Venus. M44 is right in the middle of the triangle.
I feel like I've been rewarded for finally getting out of my lazy mode!

Bill G.

06-07-2015. Canon T1i, 10 seconds @ f/4.5, ISO400, tripod, no guiding, tungsten WB. Planets 15+ degrees apart were 15 degrees

[AndyG]

Excellent, Bill! Having M44 there really makes a nice impact.

[Bruce D]

Cool Bill, especially with the trees framing the scene, give a great perspective on the scale of the cluster!

[rjbokleman]

Love it! Thanks for sharing that Bill along with the exposure times/setup. The good news is on the 12th/13th on our trip, we may get a chance to see this beautiful sight as a group! Start praying to the "Clear Sky Gods"...

1. Not familiar with "Tungsten WB" though, can you elaborate? Does WB = White Balance?
2. Which lens did you use for that shot?

[rjbokleman]

1. Not familiar with "Tungsten WB" though, can you elaborate? Does WB = White Balance?

Never mind. Found the answer on the thread about Venus. You provided two very nice shots, one with each white balance setting. What a major difference that makes!!

[WCGucfa]

Thanks, Ron.
Also thanks for the reminder of the 12/13th!

The lens used for this shot was my itty bitty 50mm.
I started out with my 18-75 zoom but something was wrong with it. It drew perfect little circles with the
planets. Neat effect I suppose, but unwanted.

Bill G

[rjbokleman]

Bill,

I haven't played with these settings on the T5i yet, just been using Auto-WB. In looking at the settings for WB on the T5i, there's a 'Tungsten Light' setting @ 3200K. Is that approximately what you used in the shot?

[WCGucfa]

Yes, on the Canon, the tungsten color balance, the rating is 3200K.
This neutralizes the sodium vapor light from streetlights and other sources.
You could adjust the color of your orange images later, but why not nip it in the bud when you're shooting.
Those who live under beautiful skies don't need to make the adjustment!
You would use normally the tungsten setting if you were shooting in a room illuminated with regular light bulbs without flash (available light).
Otherwise the pictures would have a yellowish cast.
If you aren't sure of your indoor lighting temperature, just take a shot with each setting until you get one that looks normal color.

I digress, we ARE astro-imager's after all!

Bill G.

[Apollo XX]

Nice, Bill! Beautiful celestial grouping!

[WCGucfa]

Thank's Mike!
I can't wait to see what our imager's capture in the coming nights!

BG