Moon, Mars and M44
Taken by Alan Dyer on May 3, 2025 @
near Gleichen, Alberta
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Camera Used: Canon Canon EOS R5
Exposure Time: 1/500
Aperture: f/1.8
ISO: 100
Date Taken: 2025:05:04 14:36:43
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Details:
This is the conjunction of the 6-day-old waxing Moon, near red Mars which was also near the Messier 44 star cluster, aka the Beehive, all in Cancer. This was on the evening of May 3, 2025, in the deep twilight sky. Mars was passing across the north edge of the star cluster over several nights in early May 2025, but on this night the Moon was also in the scene near Mars, which was then at magnitude +1.
The two stars above and below M44 are Asellus Borealis (beside the Moon) and Asellus Australis (at bottom). The chain of stars at top right belong to Cancer and to Gemini next door.
Technical:
With such a large range of brightness between the bright sunlit side of the Moon, the faint Earthshine illuminating the night side of the Moon, and the stars of the cluster, this was a challenge to shoot and process.
This is a blend of 9 exposures, from 30 seconds for the base image of the twilight sky, Mars and stars, and 8 other exposures from 15 seconds down to 1/500 second for the lunar disk.
All shot with the Askar FMA180 Astrograph at f/4.5 (180mm focal length) and Canon R5 at ISO 100. To avoid lens flares from the Moon, I had to shoot with a shorter focal length than would have been ideal (which would have been about 400mm) for framing the group. This allowed placing the Moon dead centre so lens flares were at least centered on the Moon and not glaring off to one side as ghost images. I then cropped down for a more aesthetic Rule of Thirds composition.
Photographer's website:
https://amazingsky.com
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