I took advantage of a rare clear Saturday night with a late rising moon to do a little stargazing at the gun range in State Game Lands 43 in Elverson, PA. It was a very pleasant evening and I had some company of other stargazers and photographers. This was mostly a scouting trip for this location. I had binoculars with me. I also experimented with a few photos, although I had not originally planned taking pictures. Four planets were visible that night – Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. The sky there is a bit of an improvement over home. I guess I will have to drag my telescope and tripod out of storage next time.

Venus setting in the west over the tops of the trees.

Jupiter higher over the treeline.

A faint picture of the Big Dipper. I am just learning night sky photography and am amazed this came out at all. Open a larger image in a new tab to see this better.