On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions. From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
This series was created by Alain Chamot (1971-2020).
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
Last week Jupiter and Saturn appeared in our sky as close as they had in the last 400 years. Conjunctions happen all the time with the Moon, planets, and stars; but what makes this conjunction interesting is Saturn and Jupiter are particularly bright objects. My plan had been to shoot this from one of the hills northeast of downtown LA, using the city as a backdrop. Due to parking and access issues this was a bit of a problem to shoot.
I decided(quite at the last minute) to do a test shot the night before the actual conjunction at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu. The one thing I leaned from this, is that shooting from atop a hill probably wouldn’t be the best place to capture this. So I ended up shooting from the Broadway bridge over the LA River. The only concerns with this location was parking and whether the planets would be sufficiently above the buildings in downtown LA.
Saturn and Jupiter in the southwestern sky just after sunset.
The two planets appear just above the lifeguard station.
Saturn and Jupiter continue their journey towards the west and into the Pacific.
Looking east, away from the conjunction, with Orion rising over the lights of Los Angeles.
Saturn and Jupiter over the business district of downtown LA at twilight.
The conjunction over downtown LA.
Landscape shot of the conjunction over downtown LA.
Van Buren
I’d say the first one is the single best photo of the conjunction I have seen anywhere.
The ones over LA ain’t bad, either.
MomSense
😍😍😍😍
raven
Nice, on the best night I couldn’t get the damn timer to work on my camera so I got nuttin!
Elizabelle
All excellent pics, but I really love the series at the beach the best. Many photos are improved by adding a lifeguard station.
Elizabelle
@raven: I just saw it with my eyes, and a neighbor’s telescope, the very first night. It was cool to know about it, though.
arrieve
Beautiful pictures. I didn’t get to see it, so I appreciate the beautiful images. And yes, a lifeguard station is always a welcome touch!
JPL
All the pictures are great.
TaMara (HFG)
Great stuff. Love the downtown skyline.
mrmoshpotato
🎶What’s your great function?🎶
Great pictures. Thanks for sharing, Bill.
stinger
I was hoping Bill would take and share conjunction photos! Agree with Van Buren about the top image, too — the best I’ve seen.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@Van Buren: Thanks, in hindsight I should have taken a set of shots down on the sand early on.
@MomSense: Thanks.
@raven: Self timer? I use an app on my phone for shutter release.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@Elizabelle: Especially lifeguard station #3, I’ve used it for a number of shots.
@arrieve: I know quite a few folk here couldn’t see it due to weather. The nice thing about the beach is that I could move around to frame the shot since the lifeguard station was close.
@JPL: Thanks.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@TaMara (HFG): The nice thing about photographing the conjunction is that you really don’t need to worry about light pollution, so a city skyline shot is possible.
@mrmoshpotato:
There is no function, as an Australian astronomer says “Life is meaningless and we’re all going to die”.
@stinger: Thanks.
CaseyL
The first shot of the conjunction is my favorite, too – but I’m also very taken with “Orion Rising Over L.A.” I like the framing that minimizes the city and maximizes the sky/shore.
I have binoculars suitable for planet-gazing. What I do not have, however, are steady hands. I didn’t realize this until I looked through the binocs and saw The Disco Dance of the Celestial Bodies. Any tremor, however insignificant most of the time, gets magnified umpetty times when peering through eyepieces. Looks like I may have to get a telescope with tripod if I want to stargaze.
BigJimSlade
Nice shots! 👍
The song I was thinking of was from schoolhouse rock – Conjunction junction, what’s your function? Hooking up clauses and phrases and I forget the words…
I loved seeing Saturn through a smallish (ie, portable) telescope at the visitor’s center on Mauna Kea (at 9,200 feet). It was only, like, a millimeter or two across, but it was so recognizable. It was great to see something with my own eyes that I had only seen pictures of before. A couple of its moons were bright, little dots nearby, too.
Richard
Very nice. It was cloudy here that night but we looked at them the night before. Beautiful photos.
Richard
@CaseyL: i liked the Orion photo also.
Richard
@BigJimSlade: nice comment. I’m afraid to go find that song but i am smiling.
SteverinoCT
@CaseyL: I have 12×50 binoculars, but the Navy standard is 7×50. The first number is the magnification: as the number goes higher, it’s like having a longer and longer telescope. Experience has shown that a 7-power is the strongest that can be held steady, considering that a ship is a moving platform.
My 12x50s gave me the Dance Of The Stars as well.
Kayla Rudbek
@CaseyL: even with a tripod, you need a steady support/surface for the tripod to rest on. Our deck is not stable enough for our telescope and tripod mount.
CaseyL
@SteverinoCT: Yeah, my Tascos are 12 x 60 : (
@Kayla Rudbek: My deck might be steady enough. Won’t know til I try!
pat
You didn’t even crop any of those pictures? I was hoping to see the planets and not two tiny pinpricks of light.
Richard
@pat: well, you are going to have to use your imagination again.
When i was a kid i saw Jupiter and 4 moons with a cheap telescope.
What is happening in your galaxy?
ballerat
That’s good. Really good.
Also, I like your picts. Please keep posting them.
ballerat
Life guard station like an LEM on an oddly familiar moonscape. Skyglow below and Jupiter and Saturn above. Where am I really?
Your picture posts are like an online art gallery.
Thank you.