Some more astro-images I have taken over the last month, including a telescopic image of the amazing Orion Nebula (M42); the return of Venus to the evening sky; and some starscapes taken from our observing field after sunset.

The Orion Nebula is a massive gas and dust cloud, twenty-four light years in diameter, containing new born stars. This is just a portion of it.

The street lights are on, dim clouds streak the sky,
The stars interposed and the Sun’s said goodbye,
The Moon like it’s Full, is up there on high,
But it’s over-exposed and the picture’s a lie.
(The fifteen second exposure has created an illusion: the Full Moon could never be this close to the setting Sun. A shorter exposure would show that it was a four day old crescent Moon).

After spending a few months in the Moring sky, Venus has returned to our evening sky.

A telescopic image would show Venus as a small disc shaped object but over the next few months it will get large and become increasingly crescent shaped until it overtakes Earth and passes into the morning sky again.
The following starscapes were taken with a tripod mounted camera, with no sideral correction:





—————————————–
All images © R.Powell