I’mTo photograph Jupiter and Saturn, you’ll need to work with a few key camera settings and pieces of equipment. Here’s a breakdown of what you can do to capture them, especially in the early morning.
A great opportunity for this kind of photography is happening on August 12, as Jupiter and Venus will be in a close alignment, known as a conjunction. They will appear as a single bright “double star” in the eastern sky just before sunrise. While Jupiter and Venus are the main event, Saturn will also be visible, though farther away.
Here are some general tips and settings to get you started:
* Equipment: A camera with manual controls (like a DSLR or mirrorless camera) and a sturdy tripod are essential. A telephoto lens (300-400mm or more) is highly recommended to get a decent size image of the planets.
* Camera Settings: Since the planets are very bright, you’ll need to use shorter exposure times.
* Shutter Speed: Start with a fast shutter speed, such as 1 second or less, to prevent the planets from turning into streaks due to Earth’s rotation. If you have a telescope with a clock drive (which tracks the movement of the stars), you can use longer exposures.
* Aperture: Try an aperture of around f/8.
* ISO: Use a moderate ISO setting, such as 3200, as a starting point. You can experiment with different ISOs to find the best balance between brightness and image noise.
* Focusing: Autofocus is not reliable for astrophotography. Turn it off and manually set your focus to infinity. Use your camera’s live view mode and zoom in on the planet to fine-tune the focus until it appears as small and sharp as possible.
* Technique: Use a 2-second timer or a remote shutter release to avoid shaking the camera when you press the button.
For a different approach, if you have a telescope, you can take a series of many short exposures, a technique known as “lucky imaging.” This involves using specialized software to stack the sharpest images and create a final, more detailed photo.

August 23rd dark sky…

Black Moon