Super Blue Blood Moon - Lunar Eclipse, 2018 January 31.

The Total Lunar Eclipse on 2018 January 31 is well under way with the Penumbra covering the whole Moon but here, the Umbra has just made contact with the Moon.  This image was taken with my Canon 6D attached to my Celestron EdgeHD 8 inch telescope (F/10), using 1/2000 seconds at ISO 800.

This image was taken shortly before the Umbra entirely covered the Moon and is the result of an HDR combine of 5 images taken in rapid succession, again with my Canon 6D on my C8.

This HDR combine of 5 images was taken partway through the total phase with the Moon entirely covered by the Umbra.

Jupiter and Mars in conjunction

Jupiter and Mars are in conjunction tonight at less than half a degree apart.  This first image was taken with my Canon 6D on my 8 inch Celestron EdgeHD telescope with an exposure of 1/200 seconds at ISO 400.  You can make out some cloud details on Jupiter and perhaps just a hint of surface features on Mars (ok, well, mostly it is just red - it's pretty far away from Earth at the moment).

This second image was exposed longer in order to see the 4 Galilean satellites of Jupiter which are roughly in a line above and right of Jupiter.  This image was taken with my Canon 6D on my 8 inch Celestron EdgeHD telescope with an exposure of 1/4 seconds at ISO 400.

Tonight's Moon

Tonight's Moon as it approaches last quarter.  This image was taken with my Canon 6D attached to my Celestron EdgeHD 8 inch telescope with an exposure of 1/500 seconds at f/10, ISO 400.

ISS over Kitt Peak

An early morning pass of the International Space Station over Kitt Peak on 2017 December 28.  Below the ISS is the Spacewatch 36 inch tome and to the right is the Kitt Peak 4-Meter Mayall telescope dome.  Twilight is just beginning in this 30 second exposure at f/1.8, ISO 400 with my 10mm fish eye lens on my Canon 70D.

Kitt Peak Sunset.

Sunset o Kitt Peak on December 27, 2017.  This is an HDR combine showing a view similar to what I saw in real time.  This is a combine of 5 exposures with my 50mm f/1.8 lens attached to my Canon 6D.

Iridium 4 Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg AFB

 On Friday December 22, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Iridium 4 payload into orbit from Vandeberg AFB.  The cool thing was that the launch occured not long after sunset which gives an optimal view of the rocket and plume as it climbs into orbit.  It climbed into sunlight just over 2 minutes after liftoff.  I drove out along Kinney Road west of Tucson in the Tucson Mountains to get a good view towards the west.  I set up my Canon 6D with a 50mm f/1.8 lens on tripod and aimed west.  The rocket appeared about 2.5 minutes after launch as a small distant plume and this image was taken a few moments later.  The knot of in the middle of the plume is the result of the first stage separation.

 This image was taken a few moments later showing the upper stage firing at the left end of the plume and the first stage is visible behind the 2nd stage and above the separation plume.

 As the 2nd stage rockets into orbit, the first stage is visible below and behind it as it descends towards a water landing.  The plume of the rocket is blue near the top being lit by direct sunshine while the lower part of the plume is let by the setting sun.

 The upper stage and satellites are heading south as it ascends into orbit.  The colors are even more obvious and the lower edge of the plume are in shadow.

Several minutes after the upper stage and satellites disappeared below the horizon, the remaining rocket plume continued to evolve and expand as it dissipated about 15 minutes or so after its first appearance.