Early Morning Planetary Parade

Four planets aligned themselves in the eastern sky (actually five, if you include the too-dim-to-capture Neptune) during the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Above, clear skies at 5:05 am CDT allowed the viewing of the planetary parade. From bottom left to upper right: Jupiter (magnitude -2.10), Venus (-4.11), Mars (0.89), Saturn (0.86). Image was captured from the Bowman Meadows housing development in Marion, Iowa and was a 5 second exposure at f/4, ISO 400, 24mm focal length. The illuminated area at lower left is a power substation located on Alburnett Road just south of Boyson Road. Air temperature was a chilly 35 degrees F.

5:28 am. Looking east from 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Above the waning crescent moon is Jupiter (left), and Venus. The two planets were about 3 degrees apart and are moving toward their closest encounter on Friday. Image is a 1.3 second exposure at f/6.3, ISO 320, 55mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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