A Swing “Between” Crescent Moon and Venus under the Twilight Colors
Captured at the end of nautical twilight, the image reveals a wonderful celestial encounter with the crescent Moon visible only 4.5º apart from planet Venus, shining this time of the year (September) in the western sky as the “Evening Star”. In the foreground, a stargazer enjoys the celestial view while relaxing in a swing made of wood, located in Estremoz, the most recent region joining the Dark Sky® Alqueva certified territory, in Portugal.
PT: Captado no final do crepúsculo náutico, a imagem revela um encontro celeste colorido com a lua crescente visível a apenas 4,5º de distância do planeta Vénus, que brilha nesta altura do ano como a “Estrela da Tarde”, no céu Oeste. Em primeiro plano, uma stargazer desfruta desta visão cósmica enquanto relaxa num baloiço feito de madeira, localizado no concelho de Estremoz, a região que mais recentemente integrou o território já certificado do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
The Sun’s Aura – Solar Corona Revealed in All It’s Glory During Total Solar Eclipse 2024
Behind the Trip, from Portugal to Texas
Taking an high resolution HDR image like that represents an enormous amount of personal and professional efforts, as well as an incredible financial investment, and everything started many months before the Eclipse itself happened. Planning the trip to be on the right path, booking accommodation several months in advance, before prices went crazy, renting a car to be as much mobile as possible, and all of it without knowing if the weather will collaborate on the place we have choose to be for the special moment. Me and Apolónia, we travelled from Portugal to Pearsall, in Texas, as planned, but the forecast was indeed terrible almost in the entire US, or at least where the path was located. So after many hours driving from Dallas to Houston and then to Pearsall, with the rest of the week monitoring with several different models the evolution of the weather forecast, we have decided – even with a certain risk -that we must need to move back to north, again, to be more close to Oklahoma state. So on the day before the Eclipse, we had to drive back to Dallas during five or six hours and in the morning of the Eclipse, we did an extra two hours drive, to reach a small city called, Clarksville, in the northeast of Texas. At 10 AM the sky was still cloudy, and I only had 2 hours before the Eclipse starts, which means, to prepare my entire setup of 6 cameras with lens, tripods, mounts, filters, cables etc…. We found a nice green calm farm to setup everything. The owner kindly authorised us to stay with our car near by, thanks Ed. This was the most stressful time of our lives, without knowing until the very end, if we could make it, trying to focus and center the sun in between the clouds brought an extra difficulty to my task. Additionally, I only had 3 solar filters for 6 cameras. Fortunately, like a miracle, just 5 minutes before totality starts, the sky cleared up where the Sun was located and during the Maximum it was completely crystal clear, at least, for around 1min and 30 seconds, calm and windless until the end. It was just…Magical!!
Technical preparation and processing
My inspiration came from some of the most finest images I´ve seen so far, from pioneering Dr. Miloslav Druckmuller, and the incredible work of Nicolas Lefaudeux, as well as and the notable results achieved by my friend Petr Horalek. Just few months before the Eclipse I started going deep, researching and studying the processes involved in those kind of HDR Eclipse images. I red some of the papers by Dr. Miloslav, many other articles…and I knew it would be a very hard task. Specially some critical steps, as calibration and precise sub-pixel alignment in the linear stage, must be done using phase correlation, using correlated image structures to align them perfectly, which is done by non-available softwares, mainly developed by each of the authors, programmed and implemented themselves to apply the correct algorithm in a proper way. I don’t have access to a program with such capabilities and I didn’t wrote my own code – at least for now — so I had to find a different alternative for the critical steps. After many weeks testing and learning, I found the proper way to do it manually with pixel precision, using also calibration frames in the linear stage, but aligning and blending the seamless high dynamic range (HDR), free of artifact in the non-linear stage. There were helpful articles and tutorials along the way…from Fred Espenak, Alan’s Dyer (Books), Sean Walker (S&T article), and more recently by Bray Falls tutorial, but anyone was completely perfect on covering every aspects in case you plan to do both (Calibration, Aligning and HDR in Linear and non-linear stage). The image I’m presenting is the result of many hours of study and practice and a refined fusion of some of the techniques I’ve learned over the last years with some of you, so I’m thankful for that knowledge and want to show my deeply appreciation for that. I think that learning is the most beautiful thing, after…a Total Solar Eclipse :). With patience and knowledge, I tried to refine and improve some of the them, while integrating as part of my won developing workflow. It proved to be very efficient, as an example, after aligning all the brackets, and to achieve a perfect HDR merging while matching each exposure brightness levels, totally free of any artifact, I didn’t had to do, one single luminance mask during this non-linear stage, in order to get a well natural balanced light flow, ready for further enhancements of the corona details, such as removing the lowest spatial frequencies. It was incredible simple and it works like magic, I just need to check if also works so well on other different sets of Eclipse images, taken with different setups and exposures. Also important to say, specially nowadays, that this image, or part of it, was not AI generated, it’s of course, the result of a real hard amount of work captured and processed manually by myself. I’ve not even used during the processing stage, any AI fancy softwares, nor even to reduce noise, like Topaz. I used only PixInsight and Layering techniques in Photoshop.
The Sun’s Aura
The Corona is extremely hot and dynamic, being the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, it reveals intricate fine structures of delicate details distorted by the strong magnetic fields. Specially, close to the Solar maximum expected for 2025 (peak of 11 years cycle of activity), the plasma of the Sun’s corona features a lot of loops and wispy white streamers radiating into space. But due to an immense level of brightness it is only possible to see when the Moon is perfectly covering the Sun. Safe enough to enjoy with our naked-eyes, much more well prepared and efficient to comprise and accommodate a larger high dynamic range, than our cameras, which even nowadays can’t do it at once. This is why we need to cover around 14 stops in the dynamic range and probably even more would be best, but bracketing can help achieve this milestone.
And why is so special ? Because not even SOHO in space, from NASA, can watch the inner corona of the Sun in white light. It only can see the most extensive part of the outer corona, using a coronagraph, from two solar radii distant of the Sun’s centre.
Why Eclipse HDR is so Challenging
Photographing a Total Solar Eclipse, is probably to most advanced and complex task in all of astrophotography fields, not only from preparing and planning which requires a bit of Mat to find the correct set of exposures according to your gear combination, ISO, lens aperture, right place to be, right time to start etc, etc, as well as from executing it in a stressful short amount of time. But also very hard and difficult to process in a time consuming task. First, because the Sun, the Moon and the stars have all different motions across the sky, which are evident in long focal distances and long exposures. Images must be aligned not on the Moon’s disc, not on the stars, and not even on the prominences (as it only works in shorter exposures), so to reveal the corona in full glory, images must be aligned on the coronal structures which are very hard and tricky, as they are faint, subtle and lacking of contrast, and they keep moving too on a lower speed. Noticeable though over the course of all bracketing, but inevitably negligible, for the final fusion in order to naturally reduce the presence of noise. And probably the most difficult final achievement, is to keep as much as possible, everything looking natural without overcooking it. It is a delicate balance between, contrast, light flow, color and detail which I tried to keep in mind and respect until the very end. I hope I did it!
Equipment and Exposures
The High Resolution image was captured with a Sigma lens at 600mm at f6.3, and a Nikon D850 modified (Ha sensitive – not relevant for this type of TSE images) on a Vixen portable mount. I did more than 163 photos (bracketed exposures), but I’ve only selected 72 images (8 bracketed sequences of 9 shots each) to process, where the sky was crystal clear without any high cloud visible. The exposure time for each sequence bracketing was ranging from 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, 1/15s, 1/8s, 1/4, 1/2s, 1s, 2s at ISO100, plus additional fast exposures of 1/4000 for C2 and C3 (Prominences and Baily’s Beads). 93GB of images were acquired just for this setup, being 1446 calibration frames such as flats, darks and bias (in a total of 65GB). Images used were captured during 1 minute and 28 seconds of the Maximum, during the 4 minutes and 19 seconds of Totality as seen from my location in Clarcksville, Texas.
Contacts C2 and C3
I merged the images from contact C2 and C3 in a single final photo, to reveal the best of all prominences visible around the Sun’s limb. This allowed to show the solar prominences and their associated magnetic loops on the final HDR image.
Moon Earthshine
Normally well seen one or two days after the new moon, the Earthshine phenomenon was described and drawn for the first time by the great Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and then back to the Earth as Earthshine. During Totality the Moon is in front of the Sun and can be seen in a long exposure. Indeed, it’s the only moment when is possible to capture the full disc of the Moon during New Moon phase. I was gladly surprised with the level of detail that could be seen, after a stack of the 0,5s, 1s and 2s exposures of all 8 bracketing combined together, comprising a total amount of 28s. The level of detail was then enhancement using a Local Histogram Equalisation with a large scale. Again, is interesting to show that a stack aligned on the moon, reveals the trails of background stars as the moon is moving much more faster then sidereal, and solar motion. Below: The image on the left, shows the natural Moon’s disc after the 28s stack, and before any further detail enhancement. Startrails are shown on the right image as the result of the stack.
Background stars up to 10.8 mag
The stack of the long exposures aligned on the stars, comprises a total amount of 28 seconds too, and can reveal stars down to magnitude 10.8. Interesting to note that the brightest star visible close to the left side of the Moon, – landscape version or upper in the portrait one – is indeed a variable double star in Pisces named: Zeta Piscium (86 Psc).
Coronal motion on finest structures
Loops in the inner corona are normally more slow and tend to not reveal obvious motion in such short amount of time (88 seconds), but streamers and small scale features seems to reveals some noticeable movement in the background. Some of the most interested features that my eyes could caught are highlighted with arrows at the lower left corner, showing what seems to be a displacement of a small scale structure. Besides the evident Moon’s motion, is also possible to notice some subtle radial motion on large scale features, visible in the background. Even not being as precise as sub-pixel phase correlation algorithm, the animation can also attest the high accuracy of manual alignment. Images used for this animation were acquired during 1 minute and 28 seconds of the Maximum during Totality in between 13h45m46s and13h47m14s Local time (-6 UT). Each successive 9 exposures set of images was aligned and processed independently to get 8 successive final composites of the solar corona. Then, the lowest spatial frequencies was removed and all composites were animated as a final Gif at a speed of 0,05 seconds each. Captured from Clarcksville, Texas, US, during Totality on April 8, 2024 with a 600mm lens f/6.3 on a Nikon D850. Note – you might feel seek if you focus your attention for a long period of time on the same spot. Make a few seconds pause, and then look back.
Acknowledgments
To produce a photo like that your investment may easily achieve the amount of a small entry level car, so fortunately, I had some extra support of some good friends that helped to make this possible. They know who are and their place in our thankful hearts. This image is dedicate to them, but specially to my dear girlfriend/wife Apolónia, as she not only planned every detail of the travel and ground trip alone when I was immersed in planning the technical stuffs, gears, cameras, lens etc…as she helped overcome all the single obstacles in our way that we faced since last year…and that, almost…made me give up of making this expensive trip to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Last but not the least, to our lovely Sun, for being just mesmerisingly Beautiful and make it appear in between the clouds, for long enough, to make every drop of sweat count! To summarize the beauty of this event in a 1 minute video, I’ve created the Whispers of Totality.
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Da Vinci Glow Shines on a Crescent Moon in Close Conjunction with Planet Jupiter
Captured on March 14th, 2024 the image reveals a close conjunction between Planet Jupiter and a Crescent Moon. While Jupiter revealed on this 300mm portrait its main 4 galilean moons, on the Crescent Moon is shiningly visible the Da Vinci Glow. Described and drawn for the first time by Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back to the Earth as earthshine. The image was captured in one of the landscape fields from Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal.
PT: Captada a 14 de Março de 2024, a imagem revela uma estreita conjunção entre o planeta Júpiter e uma Lua Crescente. Enquanto Júpiter revela neste retrato de 300mm as suas 4 principais luas galileanas, na Lua Crescente é possível distinguir claramente o chamado “Brilho de Da Vinci”. Descrito e desenhado pela primeira vez por Leonardo Da Vinci há cerca de 500 anos em seu livro Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explicou o fenómeno conhecido como Earthshine (Da Vinci Glow) no início do século XVI, quando percebeu que tanto a Terra quanto a Lua refletem a luz solar ao mesmo tempo. A luz é refletida da Terra para a Lua e de volta para a Terra como Earthshine. A imagem foi captada numa das paisagens do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Colorful Scenes Before and After the New Moon Reveals a Lunar Earthshine at Dawn and Dusk
Captured one day before the New Moon and the last Partial Solar Eclipse of the year, against the colorful background in the morning twilight of Antalya, Turkey, the image reveals not only a smiling Waning Crescent Moon but also the rare view of planet Mercury, the Inner planet more close to the Sun and by that reason, very difficult to see and spot in the eastern sky. Looking carefully to the end of the pier where is the last lounge roof, we can find the orange bright dot. Now on the right image, captured with the same 200mm lens and almost from the same location on a pier in the beach, reveals the scene while looking to the opposite direction of the sky, this time facing to west just two days after the new moon and 30 minutes after the sunset. The Earthshine is again visible, but the smile has slightly changed due to the Moon position regarding the Sun. Described and drawn for the first time by Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back to the Earth as earthshine.The image shows a sequence of shots in time lapse mode, while the Moon Earthshine of last October was setting above Bey mountains and close to Mediterranean Sea.
PT: Captada um dia antes da Lua Nova e do último Eclipse Solar Parcial do ano, contra o fundo colorido do crepúsculo matinal de Antalya, na Turquia, a imagem revela não apenas uma Lua Minguante sorridente, mas também a rara visão do planeta Mercúrio, o Planeta interior mais próximo do Sol e por isso, muito difícil de ver e localizar no céu oriental. Olhando atentamente para o final do cais onde fica o último telhado da zona lounge, podemos encontrar um ponto laranja brilhante. Já na imagem à direita, captada com a mesma lente de 200mm e quase do mesmo local do pontão na praia, revela o cenário na direção oposta do céu, desta vez voltado para oeste apenas dois dias após a lua nova e 30 minutos após o pôr do sol. O Earthshine é novamente visível, mas o sorriso mudou ligeiramente devido à posição da Lua em relação ao Sol. Descrito e desenhado pela primeira vez por Leonardo Da Vinci há cerca de 500 anos em seu livro Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explicou o fenómeno conhecido como Earthshine no início do século XVI, quando percebeu que tanto a Terra quanto a Lua refletem a luz solar ao mesmo tempo. A luz é refletida da Terra para a Lua e de volta para a Terra como Earthshine. A imagem mostra ainda uma sequência fotográfica em modo time lapse, enquanto o Earthshine lunar de Outubro se deitava acima das montanhas Bey e perto do Mar Mediterrâneo.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Sequence of a Lunar Earthshine as Seen above Bey Mountains in Turkey
Two to three days after the new moon, is the ideal time to enjoy the Earthshine phenomenon (meaning the light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon, and back to the Earth again as earthshine), for being totally visible with the naked eye 30 minutes after the sunset, and not faraway from the western horizon. The image shows a sequence of shots while the Moon Earthshine of October was setting above Bey mountains and close to Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya, Turkey.
PT: Dois a três dias após a lua nova é o momento ideal para apreciar o fenómeno Earthshine (ou seja, a luz é refletida da Terra para a Lua, e novamente de volta da Lua para a Terra em forma de Earthshine), por ser totalmente visível a olho nú cerca de 30 minutos após o pôr-do-sol, e não muito longe do horizonte ocidental. A imagem mostra uma sequência de fotos enquanto o Earthshine lunar de Outubro se deitava atrás das montanhas Bey, perto do Mar Mediterrâneo, em Antalya, Turquia..
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Mercury and a Waning Crescent Moon Against the Colorful Twilight of Antalya
Captured one day before the New Moon and the last Partial Solar Eclipse of the year, against the colorful background in the morning twilight of Antalya, Turkey, the image reveals not only a smiling Waning Crescent Moon but also the rare view of planet Mercury, the Inner planet more close to the Sun and by that reason, very difficult to see and spot it. Look carefully to the end of the pier where is the last lounge roof. Did you find the orange bright dot?
PT: Captada um dia antes da Lua Nova e do último Eclipse Solar Parcial do ano, contra o colorido pano de fundo do crepúsculo matinal de Antalya, na Turquia, a imagem revela não apenas uma Lua Minguante sorridente, mas também a rara visão do planeta Mercúrio, o planeta interior mais próximo do Sol, e por esse motivo, muito difícil de ser visto e identificado. Olhe atentamente para o final do pontão, onde fica localizado o tecto do último lounge. Encontrou o ponto laranja brilhante?.
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You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
Da Vinci Glow Revealed in a High Dynamic Range of a Crescent Moon
Featured as Nasa´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day image shows an High Dynamic Range photo of a Crescent Moon, showing in a detailed way the Da Vinci Glow, as well as revealing the bright side of the Moon full of craters with its disk 22,6% directly illuminated by the Sun. Described and drawn for the first time by the great Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon known as Earthshine in the early 16th century, when he realised that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back to the Earth as earthshine. On the bright side is possible to see in the upper part, craters like Hercules and Atlas, while a bit below the lunar Terminator (line dividing light and shadow) is crossing the large Posidonius crater which also marks in the beginning of Mar Tranquilitatis, the place where the last Apollo mission (17) as landed. Below are also visible Mare Crisium, Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris.
PT: Destacada como Nasa´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day a imagem de Alta Gama Dinâmica (HDR) revela uma lua crescente exibindo de forma detalhada o brilho de Da Vinci, onde simultaneamente é possível observar o lado mais brilhante repleto de crateras, enquanto o disco se encontrava 22,6% directamente iluminado pelo sol. Descrito e desenhado pela primeira vez pelo grande Leonardo Da Vinci há cerca de 500 anos em seu livro Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci explicou o fenómeno conhecido como Earthshine no início do século XVI, quando percebeu que tanto a Terra quanto a Lua refletiam a luz solar ao mesmo tempo. A luz é refletida da Terra para a Lua e volta para a Terra com Earthshine. No lado mais brilhante, é ainda possível distinguir na zona superior, crateras como Hércules e Atlas, enquanto um pouco abaixo o Terminador lunar (linha que divide luz e sombra) cruza a grande cratera Posidonius, que também marca no início do Mar Tranquilitatis, a local onde aterrou a última missão da Apollo (17). Abaixo, são também visíveis os Mare Crisium, Mare Fecunditatis e Mare Nectaris.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
The photo comprises 15 shots at a speed of 1/250s exposure to reveal the bright side in detail, plus 14 shots of 1,60s exposure to reveal Da Vinci glow. The total of 29 pictures were taken in sequence mode at an ISO1250 on 25/06/2020. Taka FSQ-106ED – EM200 auto-guided | Nikon D810a. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
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The Path of a Winter Earthshine – Photo and Time Lapse
A still composition shows an Earthshine time lapse sequence with the path of a Crescent Moon captured at the end of nautical twilight, after an unusual – hot for the season – crystal clear day not so expected during the winter time, perhaps related with global warming and climate changes, when the Moon was setting behind a hill full of trees from the fluvial beach of Amieira, in Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal. The intensity of Earthshines could vary throughout the year, as they are connected with the Albedo of Earth, the incident light that is reflected to space by the surface of our planet and reaches the Moon. This impressive phenomenon known as Earthshine, was described and drawn for the first time, by the talented Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester. Below is available a short time lapse footage of this sequence. At the end of the video, a cumulative trailed sequence shows the path of the moon moving in reverse mode.
PT: Uma composição estática revela uma sequência de lapso de tempo de um Earthshine lunar com o rasto de uma Lua Crescente visível no final do Crepúsculo Náutico, após um dia incomum – quente e cristalino para a estação do ano – pouco expectável durante o inverno, talvez relacionado com o aquecimento global e mudanças climáticas, quando a Lua se punha por detrás de uma colina cheia de árvores da praia fluvial de Amieira, no território do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal. A intensidade dos Earthshines pode variar ao longo do ano, pois está relacionada com o Albedo da Terra, a luz incidente que é refletida para o espaço pela superfície do nosso planeta e chega assim à superfície da Lua. Este impressionante fenómeno conhecido como Earthshine, foi descrito e desenhado pela primeira vez pelo talentoso Leonardo Da Vinci há cerca de 500 anos atrás, no seu livro Codex Leicester. Em baixo está disponível um vídeo time lapse durante o pôr-da-lua. No final deste, uma sequência cumulativa revela o rasto da lua em modo reverso.
Winter Lunar Earthshine Aligned with Planet Saturn
The image reveals an Earthshine of a Crescent Moon captured at the end of nautical twilight, when the Moon was in conjuction with planet Saturn. Only separated by 3º, the planet is visible as a yellowish star on the right edge of the image, above a hill with trees from fluvial beach of Amieira, in Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.
PT: A imagem revela um Earthshine Lunar na fase de Quarto Crescente, captado durante o Crepúsculo Náutico, quando a Lua se econtrava em conjunção com o planeta Saturno. Apenas separado por 3º, Saturno é a estrela amarelada visível no canto direito da imagem, acima da colina com árvores pertencente à praia fluvial da Amieira, região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
The Crescent Moon above the Old City of Jerusalem as Seen from the Olive Mount
The image shows a crescent Moon featuring a faint earthshine above the old city of Jerusalem, as seen from the Mount of Olives. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 time. The only part that survived to all attacks along the history and stills partially intact until today, is the Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located inside the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount, visible in the right side of the image as a blue base and a golden dome, well known as the Temple Rock. The Temple Mount is a holy site within the Old City for Jewish, Christian and Muslim people, the walls were built around the summit of Mount Moriah, where biblically, Abraham offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. In Muslim tradition, this is where the Prophet Mohammed made his “Night Journey” to the throne of God from the rock located at the center of the structure. The Foundation Stone in the temple, was built over bears great significance in Judaism as the place where God created the world and the first human, Adam.
In the foreground, it can be seen the Mount of Olives, where several key events in the life of Jesus took place. In the Acts of the Apostles it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The Mount has been used as a Jewish Cemetery, including the Silwan necropolis, which is the most ancient and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. From Biblical times until the present, Jews have been buried on the Mount of Olives, a practice started some 3,000 years ago in the First Temple Period. The cemetery contains anywhere between 70,000 and 300,000 tombs from various periods, including the tombs of famous figures in Jewish history according to Wikipedia. One explanation for placing stones as a sign of respect above the grave is to ensure that souls remain where they belong. All the explanations have one thing in common, the sense of solidity that stones give. While other things fade, stones and souls endure.
PT: A imagem revela uma lua crescente e um earthshine lunar acima da antiga cidade de Jerusalém, vista a partir do Monte das Oliveiras. É uma das cidades mais antigas do mundo e é considerada sagrada para as três principais religiões abraamicas, judaísmo, cristianismo e islamismo. Durante sua longa história, Jerusalém foi destruída pelo menos duas vezes, sitiada 23 vezes, capturada e recapturada 44 vezes e atacada 52 vezes. A única parte que sobreviveu a todos os ataques ao longo da história e ainda está parcialmente intacta até hoje, é o Muro das Lamentações, ou “Western Wall”, o local mais religioso do mundo para o povo judeu. Localizado dentro da Cidade Velha de Jerusalém, é a parede de sustentação ocidental do Monte do Templo, visível no lado direito da imagem como uma base azul e uma cúpula dourada, mais conhecida como the Temple Rock. O Monte do Templo é um local sagrado dentro da Cidade Velha para judeus, cristãos e muçulmanos, as paredes foram construídas em torno do cume do Monte Moriah, onde biblicamente, Abraão ofereceu seu filho, Isaac, como um sacrifício. Na tradição muçulmana, é aqui que o Profeta Maomé fez sua “Viagem Noturna” até o trono de Deus da rocha no centro da estrutura. A Pedra Fundamental no templo foi construída sobre o grande significado do judaísmo como o lugar onde Deus criou o mundo e o primeiro ser humano, Adão.
Em primeiro plano, pode ser visto o Monte das Oliveiras, onde aconteceram vários eventos importantes na vida de Jesus. Nos Atos dos Apóstolos é descrito como o lugar de onde Jesus subiu ao céu. É assim denominado pelos os olivais que cobriam suas encostas. O Monte tem sido usado como cemitério judeu, incluindo a necrópole de Silwan, que é o mais antigo e importante cemitério judeu de Jerusalém. Desde os tempos bíblicos até o presente, os judeus foram enterrados no Monte das Oliveiras, uma prática iniciada há cerca de 3.000 anos atrás no período do Primeiro Templo. O cemitério contém entre 70.000 e 300.000 túmulos de vários períodos, incluindo os túmulos de figuras famosas da história judaica de acordo com a Wikipedia. Uma explicação para colocar pedras como sinal de respeito acima do túmulo, é garantir que as almas permaneçam onde elas pertencem. Todas as explicações têm uma coisa em comum: a sensação de solidez que as pedras dão. Enquanto outras coisas se desvanecem, pedras e almas perduram.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A single shot with a Canon 6D | 24mm lens at f/2,8 | ISO800 | Exp. 1/5 sec.
A Sacred Scene Shows the Crescent Moon above the Old City of Jerusalem
The image shows a crescent Moon featuring a faint earthshine above the old city of Jerusalem, as seen from the Mount of Olives. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 time. The only part that survived to all attacks along the history and stills partially intact until today, is the Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located inside the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount, visible in the right side of the image as a blue base and a golden dome, well known as the Temple Rock. The Temple Mount is a holy site within the Old City for Jewish, Christian and Muslim people, the walls were built around the summit of Mount Moriah, where biblically, Abraham offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. In Muslim tradition, this is where the Prophet Mohammed made his “Night Journey” to the throne of God from the rock located at the center of the structure. The Foundation Stone in the temple, was built over bears great significance in Judaism as the place where God created the world and the first human, Adam.
In the foreground, it can be seen the Mount of Olives, where several key events in the life of Jesus took place. In the Acts of the Apostles it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The Mount has been used as a Jewish Cemetery, including the Silwan necropolis, which is the most ancient and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. From Biblical times until the present, Jews have been buried on the Mount of Olives, a practice started some 3,000 years ago in the First Temple Period. The cemetery contains anywhere between 70,000 and 300,000 tombs from various periods, including the tombs of famous figures in Jewish history according to Wikipedia. One explanation for placing stones as a sign of respect above the grave is to ensure that souls remain where they belong. All the explanations have one thing in common, the sense of solidity that stones give. While other things fade, stones and souls endure.
PT: A imagem revela uma lua crescente e um earthshine lunar acima da antiga cidade de Jerusalém, vista a partir do Monte das Oliveiras. É uma das cidades mais antigas do mundo e é considerada sagrada para as três principais religiões abraamicas, judaísmo, cristianismo e islamismo. Durante sua longa história, Jerusalém foi destruída pelo menos duas vezes, sitiada 23 vezes, capturada e recapturada 44 vezes e atacada 52 vezes. A única parte que sobreviveu a todos os ataques ao longo da história e ainda está parcialmente intacta até hoje, é o Muro das Lamentações, ou “Western Wall”, o local mais religioso do mundo para o povo judeu. Localizado dentro da Cidade Velha de Jerusalém, é a parede de sustentação ocidental do Monte do Templo, visível no lado direito da imagem como uma base azul e uma cúpula dourada, mais conhecida como the Temple Rock. O Monte do Templo é um local sagrado dentro da Cidade Velha para judeus, cristãos e muçulmanos, as paredes foram construídas em torno do cume do Monte Moriah, onde biblicamente, Abraão ofereceu seu filho, Isaac, como um sacrifício. Na tradição muçulmana, é aqui que o Profeta Maomé fez sua “Viagem Noturna” até o trono de Deus da rocha no centro da estrutura. A Pedra Fundamental no templo foi construída sobre o grande significado do judaísmo como o lugar onde Deus criou o mundo e o primeiro ser humano, Adão.
Em primeiro plano, pode ser visto o Monte das Oliveiras, onde aconteceram vários eventos importantes na vida de Jesus. Nos Atos dos Apóstolos é descrito como o lugar de onde Jesus subiu ao céu. É assim denominado pelos os olivais que cobriam suas encostas. O Monte tem sido usado como cemitério judeu, incluindo a necrópole de Silwan, que é o mais antigo e importante cemitério judeu de Jerusalém. Desde os tempos bíblicos até o presente, os judeus foram enterrados no Monte das Oliveiras, uma prática iniciada há cerca de 3.000 anos atrás no período do Primeiro Templo. O cemitério contém entre 70.000 e 300.000 túmulos de vários períodos, incluindo os túmulos de figuras famosas da história judaica de acordo com a Wikipedia. Uma explicação para colocar pedras como sinal de respeito acima do túmulo, é garantir que as almas permaneçam onde elas pertencem. Todas as explicações têm uma coisa em comum: a sensação de solidez que as pedras dão. Enquanto outras coisas se desvanecem, pedras e almas perduram.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A single shot with a Canon 6D | 35mm lens at f/2,8 | ISO200 | Exp. 1/3 sec.
Close-up View of a Waning Crescent Moon near Planet Saturn and Titan Moon
The image reveals a strong Earthshine of the Waning Crescent Moon captured during the nautical twilight on the 2nd day of February 2019, just few minutes after ending an occultation of planet Saturn which is visible in the upper right edge of the moon, as a white-yellow pale oblong dot. The “faint star” visible very close to the planet, is Titan, the well known moon of Saturn. The image was captured from a rural hotel called Nave Terra, located in Alandroal, in Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal..
PT: A imagem revela um forte Earthshine Lunar na fase de Quarto Minguante, captado durante o Crepúsculo Náutico de dia 2 de fevereiro de 2019, poucos minutos depois de terminar uma ocultação do planeta Saturno, visível no canto superior direito da lua como um ponto oblongo pálido de tonalidade amarela-esbranquiçada. O pequeno ponto de luz visível muito perto do planeta, é Titan, uma das luas mais conhecidas do planeta Saturno. A imagem foi captada a partir do hotel rural Nave Terra, localizado no Alandroal, região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
A Lunar Earthshine Close to Planet Saturn and Titan
The image reveals a strong Earthshine of the Waning Crescent Moon captured during the nautical twilight on the 2nd day of February 2019, just few minutes after ending an occultation of planet Saturn which is visible in the upper right edge of the moon, as a white-yellow pale oblong dot. The “faint star” visible very close to the planet, is Titan, the well known moon of Saturn. The image was captured from a rural hotel called Nave Terra, located in Alandroal, in Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal..
PT: A imagem revela um forte Earthshine Lunar na fase de Quarto Minguante, captado durante o Crepúsculo Náutico de dia 2 de fevereiro de 2019, poucos minutos depois de terminar uma ocultação do planeta Saturno, visível no canto superior direito da lua como um ponto oblongo pálido de tonalidade amarela-esbranquiçada. O pequeno ponto de luz visível muito perto do planeta, é Titan, uma das luas mais conhecidas do planeta Saturno. A imagem foi captada a partir do hotel rural Nave Terra, localizado no Alandroal, região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, Portugal.
A Perfect Triangle between Moon, Pleiades and Venus
The photo shows a Crescent Moon with a visible earthshine immersed by the Hyades star cluster, and forming an almost perfect triangle of about 9 degrees, which seems to be aligned with Pleiades star cluster at right, and below, the bright planet Venus. In the foreground, the water of Alqueva lake is reflecting the beautiful colors from nautical twilight. The image was captured in Campinho village, near the headquarter of Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve.
PT: Na foto é possível ver uma Lua Crescente com um forte Earthshine imersa pelo aglomerado estelar de Hyades e formando um triângulo quase perfeito de cerca de 9 graus, que parece estar alinhado com o aglomerado de estrelas das Pleiades à direita, e logo abaixo o brilhante planeta Vénus. Em primeiro plano, a água do lago do Alqueva reflecte as lindas cores do crepúsculo náutico. A imagem foi captada na aldeia de Campinho, perto da sede da Reserva Dark Sky Alqueva.
A Dreaming Waning Crescent Moon
The photo shows a slightly Waning Crescent Moon rising at Dawn, against a beautiful background from the twilight and behind a pink band of clouds, just few minutes before the Sunrise. Captured above Monsaraz and lake Alqueva, in Dark Sky® Alqueva reserve, the disk was only 6% illuminated by Sun, remind us that planet Venus also can have very similar phases, that can be seen through a telescopic view from Earth, in the right time of the year. When Venus reaches its greatest approach to Earth it shows a slightly Crescent shape – an opposite result of this Waning Crescent Moon.
PT: Na foto é possível ver uma lua minguante que se levanta às primeiras horas do dia por detrás de uma nuvem rosada contra um colorido fundo crepuscular, apenas alguns minutos antes do Sol nascer. Captada acima de Monsaraz, na reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, com o disco lunar apenas 6% iluminado pelo Sol, relembra-nos que o Planeta Vénus também pode apresentar fases muito similares às da Lua e que podem ser vistas a partir da Terra com o auxílio de um telescópio, na altura certa do ano. Quando Vénus atinge o ponto de máxima aproximação à Terra, apresenta uma magnitude de -4.5, tornando-se o planeta mais brilhante da esfera celeste, revelando uma fase Crescente similar, mas oposta à que a Lua apresenta nesta fotografia.
Lunar Christmas Earthshine above Mértola Castle
Captured one day after the new moon during the Christmas week, the moon was only 2% illuminated by the sunlight. Though, we can clearly distinguish the entire disk due to a phenomenon called Lunar Earthshine. In the foreground, located in a top hill, is a beautiful well-preserved medieval castle from Mértola village, in Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, decorated with Christmas lights around the walls and by coincidence very well aligned with the crescent moon, forming the perfect frame for a Christmas Card.
PT: Captada no dia após a lua nova e durante a semana que antecede o Natal, a lua encontrava-se 2% iluminada pela luz solar directa. No entanto, é possível distinguir claramente todo o disco devido a um fenómeno chamado Lunar Earthshine. Em primeiro plano, localizado numa colina superior, encontra-se o bem preservado e belo castelo da vila de Mértola, na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, decorado com luzes de Natal ao redor das paredes e por coincidência muito bem alinhado com a lua crescente, forma o par perfeito para um Postal de Natal.
Slightly Crescent Moon above Mértola Village
Captured one day after the new moon during the Christmas week, the moon was only 2% illuminated by the sunlight. Though, we can clearly distinguish the entire disk due to a phenomenon called Lunar Earthshine. In the foreground, located in a top hill, is a beautiful well-preserved medieval castle from Mértola village, in Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, decorated with Christmas lights around the walls and by coincidence very well aligned with the crescent moon, forming the perfect frame for a Christmas Card.
PT: Captada no dia após a lua nova e durante a semana que antecede o Natal, a lua encontrava-se 2% iluminada pela luz solar directa. No entanto, é possível distinguir claramente todo o disco devido a um fenómeno chamado Lunar Earthshine. Em primeiro plano, localizado numa colina superior, encontra-se o bem preservado e belo castelo da vila de Mértola, na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, decorado com luzes de Natal ao redor das paredes e por coincidência muito bem alinhado com a lua crescente, forma o par perfeito para um Postal de Natal.
A Baby Moon is Shinning and Heating
A baby moon is growing and heating while is reflecting more and more sunlight over the days. The shinning side of the moon can reach temperatures of 253 degrees F (123º C) contrasting with the “shadow side” that can have temperatures dipping to minus 243 F (minus 153º C). Less then half of the hottest temperature on the Moon would be enough to start a series of fires in our forests around the Planet. While this “baby” Moon is growing and showing a beautiful Earthshine, here on Earth, Firefighters are fighting like heroes each year, showing the strength and courage to facing the real power of heating, trying to save more human and animal lives as well as avoiding the devastation provoked by fires that leading to an end of the nature in his wild state.
The sculpture in the foreground visible in the image were made by Charneca Brothers, and was erected in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve to honor the Firefighters on their 75th anniversary.
PT: Uma lua “ainda jovem” cresce e aquece enquanto reflete mais e mais luz solar ao longo dos dias. O lado brilhante da lua pode atingir temperaturas de 123ºC (253º F) contrastando com o “lado à sombra” que pode mergulhar em temperaturas de 153ºC negativos (-243º F). Menos de metade da temperatura mais quente da Lua seria suficiente para iniciar uma série de incêndios nas nossas florestas ao redor do Planeta. Enquanto esta lua “bebé” cresce e nos revela um lindo Earthshine lunar, aqui na Terra, bombeiros lutam como heróis a cada ano, mostrando uma força e coragem incansável para enfrentar o poder real do calor proveniente dos fogos florestais, tentando assim salvar mais vidas humanas e animais, evitando a devastação provocada por incêndios, que levam à extinção da natureza no seu estado mais puro e selvagem.
A escultura em primeiro plano visível na imagem, é da autoria dos Irmãos Charneca e foi erguida em Reguengos de Monsaraz, Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, para homenagear os Bombeiros, no seu 75º aniversário.
Moon Reflections in the Atlantic Ocean
Moon reflections in the Atlantic Ocean. The air his filled with a thin layer of smoke coming from a fire that broke out in the afternoon on a nearby mountain. At the right side of the bright water, we can see a small lighthouse from Vilamoura marina.
PT: Reflexos do luar nas águas do Oceano Atlântico. Este pôr-da-lua incomum estava rodeado pelas cinzas que pairavam na marina de Vilamoura, no Algarve, provenientes de um incêndio que deflagrou numa serra próxima da região. A ligeira neblina conferiu à imagem uma tonalidade rosada, com uma mística muito particular e a condizer com o pequeno farol vermelho que se pode ver em baixo à direita.
London, a Busy Night City
London is a very busy city since morning until mid night. This time lapse scene shows the Moonpath passing behind “The Shard” tower, where it is also visible beside some bright stars, lots of aerial traffic as well the motion of a busy river while the cranes above the soil are still working all night long. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante uma sequência startrail mostra a agitação que se vive ao longo da noite no centro da cidade. Barcos atravessam o rio, gruas se movimentam freneticamente e a cada minuto aviões cruzam os céus londrinos. Tudo isto acontece a um ritmo alucinante, enquanto que pacificamente a lua se põe por detrás do gigantesco edifício de 300 metros “The Shard”. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, o “The Shard” é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
Enjoying the Moon above the City of London
A skygazer is enjoying the busy night of London city, from a lovely balcony view, with the crescent moon visible at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
The Moon, The Shard and The Plane
This London twilight view shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe. At the right side of the tower is also visible a plane flying above the sky of London.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante o crepúsculo náutico, mostra a Lua Crescente à esquerda da torre londrina “The Shard” e à direita a silhueta de um avião comercial que sobrevoava a cidade. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, o “The Shard” é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
The Shard Tower and Crescent Moon in London
This London twilight cityscape view, shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante o crepúsculo náutico, mostra a Lua Crescente à esquerda da torre londrina “The Shard”. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
Full Eye over London City
This full dome “eye view” from London city during the twilight, shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
Moon and Atomium Shpere
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Atomium – An UFO Spaceship for Humanity
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Moon Atomium
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Perigee Earthshine and Planet Mercury above Lisbon City
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
We use the term of “Super Moon” when the moon is at the Perigee, closer to Earth, which is not so rare, occurring 13 times this year 2016. But to our naked eyes we only notice that moon is indeed, larger in the sky (15% bigger and 30% brighter) when the moon is normally full, capturing our attention during this period. On April 7, the New Moon was at the Perigee, so in the day after, on April 8, with only 3% of the disc illuminated by the sunlight, it would be considered a Super Crescent Moon, a perfect moment to show up the Earthshine phenomenon described and drawn for the first time by Leonardo DaVinci 500 years ago.
In the lovely view captured 8.5km straight from Lisbon city, from Barreiro region, with a telephoto lens, we can see in nautical twilight a beautiful alignment between the Super Crescent Moon and the planet Mercury – the bright “star” located at the same line – only separated by 6º, an easy target to find thanks to the help of our natural satellite, standing in the background above the monument Christ the King and the 25 April bridge. Above on the image, are seen reflections of light pollution in the water of Tagus River. In that night, to wind was so strong that my local good friend and photographer Nuno Lopes, was holding the cargo cover all the time, trying to protect me and my equipment from the strong winds, while I was photographing the telephoto scene showed below. Both of my cameras and William Optics telescope, were assembled in the new Advanced Vixen Polarie portable mount.
The Cult of Fertility
EN: Crescent moon against a twilight in Menhir Rocha dos Namorados, a natural granite outcrop mushroom-shaped, where single women throw back a stone which aims to fall on top of it, a cult related to fertility | Sky of São Pedro do Corral
PT: Lua crescente de um crepúsculo no Menir da Rocha dos Namorados, um afloramento natural de granito em forma de cogumelo, onde as mulheres solteiras lançam de costas uma pedra que tem por objectivo cair em cima do mesmo, num culto relacionado com a fecundidade | Céu de São Pedro do Corval
Earthshine sequence in Alentejo
Sequence of the Earthshine phenomenon until the moonset in the Alentejo horizon of a hot evening in Herdade do Esporão | Sky of Reguengos de Monsaraz. 18/06/2015 | Reguengos de Monsaraz | Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – Portugal.
Lunar Earthshine and the ancient olive tree
Lunar Earthshine in nautical twilight behind an ancient olive tree, with an age estimated between 2000 to 3000 years. 20/04/2015 Monsaraz | Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – Portugal
Earthshine above Antu VLT Telescope
Lunar Earthshine above Antu VLT Telescope, during the nautical twilight. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The Nautical Twilight with the Moon in ALMA
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallet of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constellations. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe, and its right side the Moon. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Very Large Telescope Platform in the Twilight
Nautical twilight, above the Very Large Telescope platform. Near the horizon the bright moon is shining above the Antu telescope, the first one near the center. At his left, above the horizon are visible some of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. At the right side of Antu, the telescopes Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, with mirrors of 8.2m diameter, are opening and preparing for a night of observations. This telescopes are generally used separately, but can be used together to achieve a very high angular resolution. Looking from outside, they are reflecting a silver color coming from the moon reflection on its metalic surface. In the ground, at the left side of the image, we can see part of the interferometer (VLTI) complex, where the movable Auxiliary Telescopes can be placed.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred meters. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stargazing with Passion – Twilight and Crescent Moon on VLT
In this colorful lovely scene captured at the twilight, we can see two skywatchers enjoying his passion about the Universe, with a Crescent Moon shining between the clouds and above the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of VLT.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Close-up of ALMA Antenna DV-21 and the Crescent Moon with Earthshine
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe and at his right side, the Crescent Moon with the strong Earthshine effect very well visible.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.
ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twlight on VLT and the Southern Crescent Moon
Twilight behind the Yepun VLT Telescope (at left) and Survey Telescope VST (at right) while they start opening his doors, preparing for a night of research. The faint and inverted crescent moon of the southern hemisphere, can be seen in the center of the image.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
1% of Crescent Moon above the Medieval Village of Monsaraz
The Crescent Moon with 1% of light, lying behind the castle and medieval village of Monsaraz. 19/04/2015 Monsaraz | Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – Portugal
Waning Crescent Moon above Noudar Castle Church
Waning Crescent Moon above Noudar Castle Church
Included in the great Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – first site in the world to receive the “Starlight Tourism Destination” certification – Noudar Natural Park is located in a farm estate called Herdade da Coitadinha spreads across 1000 hectare, ‘over-the-hills’ between the winding rivers Ardila and Múrtega and lodged among hills and summits near the town of Barrancos (Alentejo, Portugal) and in the border with Spain. The road from the Park’s entrance to the Noudar Castle goes through an extensive holm oak grove (‘montado’) area, ending with a majestic view over the water lines. In Noudar, life presents itself in a state of wilderness and absolute purity.
The Castle of Noudar and the church of Nossa Senhora do Desterro is located between the Múrtega and the Ardila rivers which flow towards the West. Its construction was finished in 1307, during the reign of Don Dinis. The place was chosen because of its natural defenses, easy access and the closeness of a water spring of excellent quality – Fonte da Figueira, located roughly 250 meters to the East of the castle, under the hilltop known as Forca (“the Gallows”). Good and plentiful farming land and cattle grazing fields can also be found near the castle. This medieval fortress was very important for border defense against the kingdom of Castile during the early 14th Century.
More about Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve:
Alqueva is the first site in the world to receive the “Starlight Tourism Destination” certification. This certification, awarded by the Starlight Foundation is supported by UNESCO, UNWTO and IAC. Starlight destinations are visitable places characterized by excellent quality for the contemplation of starry skies, and the practice of tourist activities based on this resource. www.darkskyalqueva.com
The Moonset over the Ocean
Picture of the Moonset facing to the Atlantic Ocean, captured from Fonte-de-telha pine forest, in Portugal. Below is a Short time lapse movie of the scene. Taken in 13/02/2013 between 21h34 and 21h59. The motion during the sequence was made with the use of Vixen Polarie travel mount, following the Crescent Moon. Canon 60Da ISO500 f/4; Exp:10 sec. 35mm.
Moon Earthshine – The Leonardo Da Vinci phenomenon
Seems that this February 1st, the Moon was almost Full and the calendar were wrong…or maybe not ? Actually it was right, in this smile view of the moon captured from Almada, Portugal, I could see the night side of the Moon very well illuminated by the Earth reflected light, like if it was Full Moon. This impressive phenomenon known as Earthshine, was described and drawn for the first time, by the great Leonardo Da Vinci about 500 years ago on his book Codex Leicester. Leonardo da Vinci explained the phenomenon in the early 16th century when he realized that both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight at the same time. Light is reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back to the Earth as earthshine.
To increase the faint details, I had to made a long exposure of about 6 seconds with a Vixen GP2 Photo Guider S tracking mount, using a Astro Professional ED80 APO telescope with 570mm f/7 and a Canon 50D – ISO 400; Exp: 6 sec. in 01/02/2014 at 19:17
Lost in the Beach – Planets Alignment wiht Crescent Moon
I could be “lost in the beach” on the evening of 7 September, but actually I was claiming such a beautiful peaceful moment, enjoying the alignment between planets, Saturn (in the top left corner), Venus and Spica star (in the center image), and as it we following down this imagined diagonal line, we can finally find the Crescent Moon above the horizon.
Canon 50D – ISO160; f/4; Exp. 1.30 seconds for each sequence “startrail” image; at 24mm. Picture taken in 07-09-2013 at 20h38
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
Manivela Moonset
In the image we could see the moonset (almost like the sunset, with an orange tone) reflected in the Alqueva´s Lake water, where is located the old: “Fonte da Manivela” or in English the source crank. The image was captured in Mourão, a region of the great Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve. At the first sight, we could think that it wasn´t the moon, but maybe the Sun, so, how could we have sure ? First, because during the sunset we couldn´t see the stars and the sky so dark due to our atmosphere effect. And the most important, if you look carefully in full resolution, you will notice that the moon wasn´t completely full, in fact, due to an Earthshine effect, is also visible part of the moon´s left limb that is in the shadow (not directly illuminated by the sun), something that will not occur in the sun´s surface. Canon 50D – ISO1600, Exp. 10 segs. 24mm f/2.8 – 16/06/2013 00:50
Photographing a beautiful twilight
Self portrait of the conjunction between Jupiter (the Brightest star in the image) and Crescent Moon with the disc only 3% illuminated by the Sun. Near the horizon, is visible the city of Lisbon.
Canon 50D – ISO400; Exp. 1,6sec. F/4; 35mm. 11/05/2013 21h48
A “Macro” Picture of the Moon – Planets Alignment
Self portrait of the conjunction between Jupiter (the Brightest star in the image) and Crescent Moon with the disc only 3% illuminated by the Sun, and where is visible the Earthshine effect. Venus, also in conjunction, was covered by the cloudy band in the Lisbon horizon. While I was enjoying this beautiful and gold moment, holding my camera, I remembered to take a “Macro photo of the moon, maybe the first macro-moon shot from planet earth :=) “, but is it possible ?, yes it is, just take a look to the second picture, I only have to approach my lens camera, to the lunar limb :=) Images taken from Capuchos, Almada, Portugal.
Canon 50D – ISO400; Exp. 2sec. F/4; 35mm. 11/05/2013 21h41 and 21h43.
Below you will find a resume with all publications – printed and online – related to this particular photograph.
Please refer the i-frame above, generated automatically from the overview page Press.
Jupiter, Moon Earthshine and Venus, Aligned in Capuchos
Alignment between Jupiter, Crescent Moon and Venus, captured from Capuchos village, in Almada, Portugal. Jupiter is the bright star in the left upper corner. Venus is the bright star near the yellow/orange sky, and the cloudy band. Near the horizon is visible the city of Lisbon.
Canon 50D – ISO200; Exp. 1.3sec. f/4 at 35mm. In 11/05/2013 at 21:24
Capturing the Earthshine and Pleiades above the bridge
During one of my astrophotography workshops, I had the opportunity to catch the moment when one participant was photographing the Earthshine and Crescent Moon in conjunction with the open clusters Pleiades (M45), above the 25 April bridge, in Lisbon.
Canon 50D – ISO800, f/2.8; Exp. 1s ; 24mm. 13/04/2013 at 21h51.
Lisbon Moonset
Short sequence of the moon while the Earthshine effect is visible on its surface, the moon is passing behind the 25 April Bridge, until it sets behind the Lisbon city, after the passing of a huge cargo boat moving across Tagus river.
The Sword alignment – Venus, Moon,Jupiter and Pleiades
In the image we can see the sword of Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, bypassing the moon. was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal’s independence from Castile. He later became a mystic, was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1918 and was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. For the same reason, the sword is turned down, as a sign of peace.
In the sky we could appreciate the alignment between Venus, Moon,Jupiter and Pleiades.
Canon 50D, ISO 640 with 35mm at f/5.6 Exp.4″. 15/07/2012 at 4:58 Am
The Bridge Between Moon and Jupiter
Image of the Crescent Moon with only 1% of the disc iluminated by the Sun, and where it is clearly visible the Earthshine effect. Below the bridge we can see the Planet Jupiter. The image was taken from Almada, facing to Lisbon and to the 25 April bridge.
Canon 50D – ISO500 F/4.5 133mm Exp. 2″ in 22/04/2012 at 21h20
Sunset Sky Show
View of the conjunction between Venus, Jupiter and the Crescent Moon in a strong Earthshine effect, with the 25 April Bridge, in Lisbon as a background.
Canon 50D – ISO250 f/2.8 Exp. 2″ in 25/03/2012 at 20:38 | Canon 50D- ISO250 f/2.8 Exp. 2.5″ in 25/03/2012 at 20:51
Earthshine and the Monsaraz Village
Image from Monsaraz region, one of the locations covered by the great Dark Sky Reserve area and that had the best dark sky measures in the process of Starlight validation.
Covering 3000sq km in southern Portugal the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve is the first area in the world to be internationally certified as a Starlight Tourism Destination by the Starlight Foundation. More info at: www.darkskyAlqueva.com.
Canon 50D – ISO 1250 f/5 168mm Exp. 6″ in 25-02-2012 at 21:32
Two friends in the Sky, two friends on Earth
In this lovely night after Christmas, Me and my old friend José Formiga went outside to watch a great conjunction between our crescent Moon and planet Venus. To enjoy the show, we choose a small pine forest at Fonte-de-Telha, facing to the Atlantic Ocean. At left, I point to Venus, at my right, José point his finger to the Moon.
Canon 50D- ISO640 f/5 Exp. 8″ 14mm lens in 26/12/2011 at 18h20.
Crescent Moon and Venus at the Ocean
In the image we could see the Crescent Moon in the Sagittarius constellation, and below them, 3º above the horizon, the planet Venus. The Moon shows a strong Earthshine effect, for being just 9% directly iluminated by the Sun. The image was taken in Costa da Caparica beach, facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Canon 50D- ISO640 f/2.5 Exp. 3.2″ 50mm lens in 27/11/2011 at 18h25.
Moon and Saturn falling in the Ocean
Rasto da Lua e do planeta Saturno a pôr-se na região do Oceano Atlântico. Imagem obtida na Fonte-de-Telha em 03-08-2011 entre as 21h38 e as 22h42. Soma de 331 imagens cada uma de 10 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 55 minutos. São visiveis diversas estrelas como Spica, Porrima, Denebola, Vindemiatrix, Alula Australis e Borealis e o Planeta Saturno.
Canon 50D -ISO400mm a 17mm F/5.6 Exp.10s por cada imagem.
Capuchos Crescent Moon
Lua Crescente com o disco apenas 1% iluminado. Imagem obtida nos Capuchos, em Almada. É possível ver ainda a Costa da Caparica e parte de Lisboa, assim como do Oceano Atlântico.
Canon 50D- Exp.3.2″ F/5 ISO500 a 50mm 04-04-11 20h54
Jupiter and Crescent Moon
Jupiter e a Lua em fase Crescente junto ao Oceano Atlântico. Imagem obtida na zona da Nato, na Fonte-de-Telha.
Canon 50D -ISO1600 20mm F/5.6 Exp.13s
Crescent Moon and Earthshine
Imagem da Lua em fase Crescente, com apenas 3% do disco iluminado e onde é visível um forte Earthshine lunar, tornando visível a parte da Lua que nesta fase não se encontra directamente exposta aos raios solares, mas que se torna visível devido à luz reflectida na sua superfície, pelo próprio planeta Terra, que ilumina assim a parte escura da Lua, claramente visível, nesta imagem obtida no Feijó, Almada, em 04-02-2011 às 18h50.
Imagem above: Canon 50D -ISO400 300mm F/5.6 Exp. 2.5″ às 18:50
Image above: Canon 50D -ISO800 300mm F/5.6 Exp. 2″ às 18:58
Crescente Moon and Venus Star Party
Lua Crescente e Vénus na Lagoa de Albufeira, no início da noite de uma Star Party.
Canon 50D-ISO250 50mm F/2 Exp.13s em 11-09-10 20:50
Crescent Moon and Venus over the Lisbon Bridge
Conjunção entre o planeta Vénus e a Lua crescente, sobre a Ponte 25 de Abril, em Lisboa, em 15-06-2010 às 22h02
Canon 50D – ISO500 F-5.6 Exp.-4″ 20mm.
São Jorge Castle´s Skyshow
Imagens obtidas nas muralhas do Castelo de São Jorge, apanhando parte da cidade de Lisboa. No céu, pode ser apreciado um Earthshine lunar numa conjunção entre Vénus e a Lua. Leia mais sobre o Castelo, datado da idade medieval. – Clique aqui.
Above: Canon 50D – ISO400 F-5.6 Exp-5″ 20mm em: 15-05-10 às 21:56
Above: Canon 50D – ISO400 F-5 Exp-4″ 14mm em: 15-05-10 às 21:53
Lisbon view from the Castle
Panorâmica de 3 imagens a partir do Castelo de São Jorge, apanhando toda a cidade e baixa de Lisboa, a ponte sobre o Tejo e o Cristo Rei. No céu, pode ser apreciado um Earthshine lunar numa conjunção entre Vénus e a Lua.
Leia mais sobre o Castelo, datado da idade medieval. – Clique aqui.
Canon 50D – ISO400 F-5.6 Exp-2.5″ 20mm em: 15-05-10 às 21:33
Sky lights of Lisbon
Imagem do movimento da Lua registado ao longo da noite no dia 17 de Fevereiro de 2010, entre as 20h29 e as 21h30. Para o resultado final foi feita uma soma manual de 111 imagens no CS3 cada uma de 30 segundos, totalizando uma integração de 60 minutos, com uma Canon 50D a uma abertura F-5 a ISO 125, com uma Lente Sigma HSM EX a 15mm. Imagem obtida em Almada, junto ao Rio Tejo.
São visíveis vários rastos de aviões que se movimentam em direcção ao aeroporto de Lisboa, assim como o rasto da Lua Crescente e de algumas estrelas da constelação de Andromeda, Pegasus e Carneiro. Junto ao horizonte lisboeta é ainda visível o rasto luminoso de um navio que se movimenta em direcção ao Oceano Atlântico.
Image published in National Geographic, click here.
Lua Selvagem
Lua em fase minguante. Imagem obtida no pinhal da Fonte-da-Telha,
Canon 400D ISO 400 F-5.6 Exp.- 2.5″ a 20mm em 14-12-09. Imagem da direita exposição de 6″. Obtida às 6h51
Conjunção entre a Lua, Mercúrio ,Vénus e Saturno
Conjunção entre a Lua, Mercúrio ,Vénus e Saturno, junto à Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória, atracada em Cacilhas junto ao Rio Tejo. Canon 400D ISO 400 45mm F/14 Exp. 5 ” em 16-10-09 às 7:08
Lua Crescente – Panorâmica sobre os Capuchos
Lua Crescente – Panorâmica sobre os Capuchos. Vistas de Almada e Lisboa. Canon 400D – ISO 400 F-5 1,3″ a 34mm em: 21-09-09 às 20:18
Romantic Moon Earthshine…
Romantic Moon Earthshine…Imagem obtida no Alentejo. Canon 400D – ISO 400 50mm F/2.5 6.0Sec. 25-07-09 22:02
Climb the stairs and bring me the Moon…
When I took this picture I was in the middle of a farm field, in Alentejo, Portugal. In that moment, I was accompanied by my little niece Debóra, who was eager to see the moon … asked me if the moon was too far from us, and I answered her, depends my baby, the distance could be apparent and relative, but in astronomical terms, the moon is very near us. I will show you… do you want to see? Yes, and i said: So, you just need to climb the stairs and bring me the Moon.
Canon 400D – ISO 200 55mm F/5.6 0.8sec. 24-07-09 21:29
Earthshine lunar no Alentejo
Earthshine lunar no Alentejo. Canon 400D – ISO 400 50mm F/2.5 1.0Sec. 24-07-09 21:34
Lua Crescente no Aqueduto da Amoreira
Enquadramento de um dos arcos Aqueduto da Amoreira em Elvas e do antigo convento de São Francisco, actualmente arquivo histórico de Elvas, com a Lua em fase crescente, apenas 4% iluminada.
Canon 400D – ISO 200 55mm F/5.6 1/2sec. 23-07-09 21:23
Conjunção entre a Lua , as Pleiades e o planeta Mercúrio
Conjunção entre a Lua , as Pleiades e o planeta Mercúrio. Imagens obtidas na praia da Costa da Caparica – Almada. Canon 400D – ISO 200 F-5.6 Exp. 4″seg. -18mm em 26-04-2009 às 21h04
The Moon like a feather…
Imagem obtida na praia da Costa da Caparica. Com a silhueta de uma criança esperando que a lua caia na sua mão, como uma pena…
Imagem otbida em 26-04-09.
Earthshine – Disco lunar 1% iluminado, Costa da Caparica
Earthshine- Disco lunar 1% iluminado, praia Costa da Caparica. Em pano de fundo pode ver-se a cidade de Lisboa e a serra de Sintra. Canon 400D – ISO 100 F-5.6 – Exp: 2.5″ – 55mm às 21h46 em 04-06-08
Image published in NASA as APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day : http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080607.html
Earthshine Lunar e Mercúrio, no lago da Paz
Earthshine Lunar e Mercúrio, no lago do Parque da Paz – Almada. Canon 400D – ISO 200 F4.5 – Exp: 6″ – 18mm às 21h31 em 07-05-08
Crescent Moon Mosaic
Meade ETX90 EC + Philips Tou Cam Pro. Mosaico de alta reolução captado em 10-06-05 – 22h30.
