2022 May 6
Observers Challenge – The Moon passes the Beehive
On the night of May 7 to 8, the crescent Moon will pass close by to the splendid open cluster Messier 44, The Beehive, allso known as Praesepe. From the UK the closest approach will be after the Moon has set, but just before midnight the pair will be about four degrees apart. Those further west will be able to see their closest approach of about three degrees.
The difficulty in taking a good picture of the pair is the brightness of the Moon and the faintness of the cluster. It might be possible to get a nice result using a short exposure of the Moon and a longer exposure of the cluster and making a composite.
In 2020 there was a close approach of the Moon to the Beehive, with Venus nearby too. In David Strange’s image (below) the Moon and Venus are separated by about four degrees, and the Moon is about 1.5 degrees away from M44.
If you manage to do some observations then please upload them to your members album.
30x180s with Canon EOS 200D camera and Canon EF 400mm F5.6 USM lens
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