All really cool pictures, Tom. Jon Christensen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Polakis" <tpolakis@xxxxxxx> To: <AZ-Observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 10:27 PM Subject: [AZ-Observing] Photos: Moon Rising and Planes Landing Many times in my 20 years of making the commute from Tempe to the intersection of 34th Street and Washington, I have watched airplanes pass near the rising or setting moon and thought, "hey, that would make a great photo!" I have found that the best phase is just before or after Full Moon, when the lighting is right and the moon's altitude is low. Ideally, the moon should be rising or setting south of due east, which contrains the time to range between April and August. Unfortunately, the combination of the correct moon phase, clear skies, and free time never seem to converge. Tonight, however, I got home from work, ran my desktop planetarium software, and realized the circumstances were going to be good at around 6:30 p.m. I headed back to a site near the east end of the north runway. A dirt lot along Air Lane between 40th St. and the lonely Route 153 freeway is popular among plane-spotters. There was no shortage of air traffic. Planes that appear larger than the moon in these photos are approaching the north runway, and those that are smaller are on final to the middle runway. I used a 300mm lens on a Canon 20D camera. http://www.pbase.com/polakis/skyharbormoon Tom -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list. -- See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please send personal replies to the author, not the list.