Planet Scenes 2015

	Mars, Jupiter and Venus, Nov 4 The grouping of three planets in the morning sky is gradually coming to an end as the speedy Venus and Mars begin to pull away from slower Jupiter.
	Mars, Jupiter and Venus, Oct 29 The dance of the Dryad planets continues in eastern Leo, and a week after our last picture, Venus has moved in between Jupiter and Mars.  I missed the exact date of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (which was October 25), but I'm not sure why I missed it, perhaps the weather was uncooperative?  This conjunction in 2015 is the successor to a similar event on October 15, 1991, when the two planets were in similar circumstances in the morning sky in Leo.  On that occasion, they were farther apart, separated by 2°32'06", which is more than twice as far as they were this time.
	Mars, Jupiter and Venus, Oct 22 Three planets gather in the morning sky near the corner made by the constellations Leo and Sextans.  Venus is still the westernmost, Jupiter is in the middle, and Mars is the eastern link in the chain.
		Mercury and Planets, Oct 15 Here we see Mercury against a darker sky which allows us to see the background stars of Virgo more clearly, and then a wide-angle view that brings the planets Mercury, Mars and Jupiter into perspective.
	Mercury in Virgo, Oct 14 Mercury had a very fine apparition in the morning sky in the middle of October.  It could be seen just above the eastern horizon while a myriad of planets were dancing high up in the southeastern sky above him.  This is the best picture I got showing Mercury and a nice blue sky during this apparition.
	Total Lunar Eclipse, Sep 27 The lunar eclipse in September 2015 was very well timed for observers in the eastern United States, with the entire event observable starting in early evening.  This montage shows various exposures I took of various phases using my Nikon D40 and a 200 mm lens.  The Moon was in central Pisces at the time of the eclipse.
	Venus, Jupiter and Moon, Jul 18 I was battling clouds to find a time and place where I could catch Venus, Jupiter, Regulus and the crescent Moon gathering very low in the west in mid-twilight.  Jupiter is partly obscured by clouds.
		Venus and Jupiter in Leo, Jun 29 Venus has finally caught up to Jupiter and will pass the king of planets in the next day.  Here they are seen in two different views in bright twilight.
	Venus and Jupiter, Jun 22 One of the highlights of the year 2015 is the near conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in July.  Jupiter has spent the first half of the year in Cancer, while Venus spent the winter and spring gaining in altitude and elongation, but now in the summer it has been lowering as it traverses the ecliptic in Cancer.  Our view on the anniversary of the start of Operation Barbarossa shows the two planets aligned nicely with Regulus.
		Venus in Taurus and Jupiter in Cancer, Apr 11 Jupiter spent the second half of 2014 and the first half of 2015 in eastern Cancer, and it is now very near to its stationary point, ready to resume prograde motion.  Venus has been gaining altitude all year, and is now passing the Pleiades.
		Venus & Mercury as well as Mars, Jan 17 Venus and Mercury have separated over the past week and Mercury has dimmed noticeably; the two are separated by 2°45'.  Mars and Neptune are farther up in the sky, separated by only 1°32'.  The separation between Mars and Venus is 16°23' on this evening.
	Venus & Mercury, Jan 10 Venus and Mercury gathered in the evening sky in the constellation Capricornus in early January.
	Comet Lovejoy, Jan 9 Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) was a very interesting object in our December 2014 and January 2015 skies.  It didn't sport an obvious tail, but was bright enough and exhibited the typical green color of many moderately bright comets, which is clearly in evidence in the image.

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