Here’s a nice photo to brighten up your Easter weekend.
Amateur astronomer Alexander Krivenyshev snapped a gorgeous shot this morning (April 15) of four planets aligned over Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Krivenyshev, the president of WorldTimeZone.com, took the photo at 5:36 a.m. EDT (0936 GMT) from Guttenberg, New Jersey, which is across the Hudson River from New York City. It shows Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn shining above city lights in a brightening predawn sky.
The brightest planets in April’s night sky: How and when to see them
Capturing celestial bodies against a big-city backdrop is no small feat.
“With urban astrophotography, high clouds and light-polluted skies provide one a short window of time” to get such a shot, Krivenyshev wrote in an email to Space.com.
On Friday morning, a window presented itself when Jupiter rose above a cloud layer while the other three planets were still visible higher in the sky, he added.
The predawn planet parade will continue throughout April. To learn more about how to see it and the rest of this month’s celestial sights, check out our April skywatching guide.
Krivenyshev is an accomplished astrophotographer, and the planets aren’t his only targets. In 2017, for example, he captured amazing photos of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the face of the nearly full moon.
He has also photographed the ISS transiting the sun. Such shots require special solar filters, so don’t try to replicate them unless you’ve got the proper gear and know what you’re doing; otherwise, you could seriously damage your instruments and your eyes.
If you’re looking for binoculars or a telescope to see planets in the night sky, check out our guides for the best binoculars and best telescopes. If you need photography equipment, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to prepare for the next planet sight.
Editor’s note: If you capture a stunning photo of the night sky and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.
Mike Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.
