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Moon Covers Venus. Credit: Kevin Jung
Check out this photograph of an occultation of Venus by the Moon, taken by Kevin Jung. An occultation occurs when one object passes in front of another from our vantage point. A solar eclipse is an example of an occultation, but here we’ve got the Moon passing in front of Venus.
“Being an avid observer for many years, I am always on the lookout for things to observe that are “special.” The occultation of Venus by the Moon on a cool morning in April 2009 was just such an event.”
Kevin captured this great shot on April 22, 2009 using a Canon EOS 40D attached to a refractor mounted on a 16-inch SCT with an equatorial mount which they have at their observatory.
“I periodically took photographs and watching intently as the Moon’s limb approached Venus. As the moment of “contact” was approaching, I began taking images every few seconds, watching the “horn” of the planet Venus move ever closer to the limb of the moon. Just as I saw it touch the Moon’s limb, I fired a burst of a few frames to make sure I captured the image I wanted. I actually continued to shoot photos until Venus completely disappeared behind the Moon.”
Here’s the gear that Kevin used:
Camera: Canon 40D DSLR triggered remotely
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/640 second
Aperture: f/8 (telescope’s f-ratio)
To see more photos of the Moon and Venus occultation, check out Kevin’s Flickr page.
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