topic Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒 in Community Chat

🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

Mz iMac — Tue, 19 May 2026 02:51:14 GMT

The bright star is Venus next to the half moon. First time I noticed that planet to be so bright. According to the local news it is called a celestrial event.

Took this photo tonight (5/18/26) during my dog's last potty break before bedtime @ around 9:45 PM.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

twinsister — Tue, 19 May 2026 03:50:37 GMT

I saw it around 9:30 - it was amazing!

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

LisaMofSLC — Tue, 19 May 2026 04:26:40 GMT

There will also be a blue moon this month. The 31st, I think.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

TerryNJ — Tue, 19 May 2026 04:44:49 GMT

Beautiful, thank you for the pictures.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

Goldengate8361 — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:09:25 GMT

@Mz iMac thanks for posting this. I've always wondered how folks can differentiate stars from planets.... I must not have a good eye for this. Thanks for pointing this out.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

Still Raining — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:38:30 GMT

Wonderful picture. We don't have any light interference up here, but I sure missed this one.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

Mz iMac — Tue, 19 May 2026 17:40:25 GMT

@Goldengate8361 wrote:
@Mz iMac thanks for posting this. I've always wondered how folks can differentiate stars from planets.... I must not have a good eye for this. Thanks for pointing this out.

@Goldengate8361 You're welcome.

Since I've always lived in highrise apts w/balcony I've always had an astronomy tri-pod telescope as I enjoy star & comet watching. A pictorial astronomy book came w/the telescope. That is how I learned to "find" planets & comets. However, it's not one w/a camera. Planets are easy to see. Stars you cannot "see" w/a store bought telescope. You need those giant ones the astronomers uses. Just a twinkle far off in the distant from the ground.

From the ground: Mars is reddish (the red planet) & bright.

Venus & Jupiter are not as bright as Mars just larger.

Mercury - I can only see it on a clear night & only for a few minutes then it's gone. I live in the boonies so the sky is jet black. No city lights interfering.

I have been hinting to family members & paramour about astronomy binoculars as my B-day is next month. At my age is time to star gaze w/BOTH eyes while lying down on a lounge chair.

The only thing I don't like about star gazing is that you have to keep moving the telescope because the earth is rotating. It's more noticeable star gazing than than not.

Last night I used my flip phone to take the pic. It still has a film over the viewing window which I have not removed yet as I am still playing around w/it.

I am going to use my digital cam tonight & attempt to film from my balcony. Hopefully, I can film a larger moon & planet which will be clearer.

Re: 🌙 A Celestial Event 🌒

4kitties — Tue, 19 May 2026 17:51:11 GMT

@Mz iMac

You got a nice picture of this. I was just barely able to see it last night as I was getting ready for bed. Was barely visible just above our tree line. I knew that was a planet near the moon but did not know it was Venus. We live in an area with LOTS of trees and I cannot see the horizon because of them.