Lunar Photo of the Day 

Before and After: Antares and the Moon

John writes, I took this image of the lunar occultation of Antares Wednesday morning practically in daylight. It is a 2 image composite of both the disappearance and reappearance of the bright star Antares (Alpha Scorpii). Clouds moved in just before disappearance, but cleared again and I was able to actually watch the reappearance. Antares’ golden orange color stood out, even in the daylight. The event ended just in time for me to closeup the observatory, take the kids to school and for me to get to work! A busy morning!

— Chuck Wood

Technical Details:
March 2, 2005; ~ 5:49 am to 7:15 am EST. 10" Meade SCT telescope @ F6.3 in my backyard observatory in Dayton, Ohio. Canon 10D DSLR, ISO 400, 1/500 and 1/60 sec. exposures. The Images were processed in Maxim & Adobe to remove the daylight and resulting optical reflections.

Related Links:
The Chumack Observatories
Antares Will Wink Out Tonight

Tomorrow's LPOD: A Single Twin