Ever since planting my virus victory veggie garden earlier this month, I have become like a farmer, obsessed with the rain.  The forecasters keep saying the rain is coming, and then it doesn’t.  The upside of that is: clear skies for astrophotography!

On April 13, I tried to capture a picture of Comet C/2019 Y4  (Atlas), but no joy.  It was falling apart and too dim to find from my suburban driveway.

Last night, the Moon and Venus made a lovely combo at sunset.  Even with the 300 mm lens on the camera, Venus looks like a bright blob – not circular, but not with any shape.  In my husband’s 15×50 Image Stabilized binoculars, it looked the same as with the camera.  However, with my 8-inch telescope, it was a beautiful crescent (although much fatter than the moon).  It was an interesting demonstration of the benefit of a bigger aperture.

I thought the new Moon setting into the trees was also a lovely sight.

Camera Geek info (Moon and Venus)

• Canon EOS 60D in manual mode set at f/2.8, 1/20 second exposure, ISO 500
• Sigma 24-70 mm f/2.8 EX lens, set at 32 mm, autofocus

Camera Geek Info (Moon and trees)

• Canon EOS 60D in manual mode set at f/5.6, 1/2 second exposure, ISO 500
• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens, set at 300 mm, autofocus
• Tripod