Venus-Jupiter-Moon Conjunction of February 1999
by Lorenzo Comolli

The month of February '99 gave us a great show: the dance of the planets Venus and Jupiter, with the Moon as a guest star! In this page there are some images that I took to register this event. (for downloading bigger images, click on the images)
 

February, 18
This image is one of the first that I took the evening of February, 18: the show was fantastic, a thin scythe of Moon go with two bright points (the more bright is Venus); they formed an isosceles triangular pointed in the direction of where the Sun sets, as if they would like to say that the show was possible thanks to the Sun that illuminates them.
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1 second at f/16 on Kodak PJ-400 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
A wide field view of the panorama. There was a soccer field at few meters that illuminates the ground under the conjunction. There is also my shadow projected on the ground.
Technical data: 16mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 4 seconds at f/5,6 on Kodak PJ-400 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
With a telephoto lens we can see better the triple conjunction: it's very interesting to see the cinereous light, that bright part of the Moon that isn't directly illuminated by the Sun, but from the light reflected by the Earth. If you note Jupiter (top left) you can see some points of light: they are the Galilean satellites.
Technical data: 200mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 4 seconds at f/3,5 on Kodak PJ-400 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
When the twilight ended, the stars become visible, this wide field photo shows many constallations: from left there is Canis Major with the bright Sirius; at right there is Orion; if you go in the direction of the Orion belt, you'll find Aldebaran in Taurus; but if you follow the direction of Venus and Jupiter, you'll find the planet Saturn.
Technical data: 16mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 30 seconds at f/5,6 on Kodak PJ-400 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
If you don't understand about what I was writing above, beh, here is the indication! :-)) For taking this image I used the light pollution from the very near soccer field.
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1 second at f/1,8 on Kodak PJ-400 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
February, 22
Here is the evening sky four days after the conjunction with the Moon: Jupiter (above) and Venus (below) are less than a degree apart, and continue to approach themselves.
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1/2 second at f/2,8 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
In a wide field view we can easily imagine where the ecliptic is, the plane in which all the planets and the Moon move (in first approximation). From bottom right: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Moon.
Technical data: 16mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 3 seconds at f/4 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Tradate (VA, Italy).
February, 23
And now the great day: February, 23. The planets Venus and Jupiter are very near, olnly 9' of degree, only 1/3 of the Moon diameter. In the telescope they are easily visible in the field of view of an eyepiece. Because of the weather conditions I preferred to move South of Tradate, I went to Legnano (MI, Italy), where with my friend Simone Bolzoni, we do the observations.
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1/2 second at f/2,8 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).
Another image that show the unreal atmosphere created by the clouds at Sunset.
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1/4 second at f/2,8 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).
The two planets were visible between a cloud and another. Here is a telephoto view.
Technical data: 200mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 1 second at f/3,5 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).
In this image is visible the ecliptic: from bottom we observe Venus and Jupiter (in conjunction), Saturn and the Moon.
Technical data: 16mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 4 seconds at f/5,6 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).
And here is what we observe in the telescope: the very bright Venus with a big bright halo, Jupiter also with a little halo. Near Jupiter there was his Galilean satellites: from left we see Ganymede, then Io and Callisto (in conjunction! one above other) and Europa.
Technical data: 20 cm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, used at direct focus of 2000mm. 10 seconds exposure. Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).
Finally a picture that will remember that fantastic evening! (from left: Simone Bolzoni and Lorenzo Comolli)
Technical data: 50mm objective, camera mounted on a fixed tripod. 30 seconds at f/2,8 on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. Taken from Legnano (MI, Italy).

And, as a cherry on a cake, the evening of February, 23 I went to see an important conference taken by Gabriele Vanin (president of UAI, Italian amatour astronomers union) in Legnano, organized by Antares association. The title of the conference was: "The great phenomenon of the sky".


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