manspam Loc: Michigan

Hello all, I am a returning member to UHH and a few nights ago I noticed a bright object in the eastern sky, much brighter than a star. Got out my Nikon Bridge Camera and took the following pictures. I believe the ISO was set at 100 with 1/100 shutter speed, taken at full 42x zoom and cropped. No tripod, just rested my camera on top of a privacy fence. I am new to this type of photography. Can someone tell me what I've captured? Is it a nebula, Venus or what?

Nebula?

(Download)

???

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

At those settings and you shoot this after 3 AM it's most likely Venus. I'm not sure what time Jupiter rises right now but could be Jupiter???

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

looks like something is way out of focus. Or some sort of lens flare...

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

They both look like they are autofocus that couldn't resolve.
You may want to try manual focusing. The ring pattern is very typical of out of focus ring patterning.

proteus1 Loc: NEVADA

Gee Wiz, I have a whole bunch of photos just like yours. When I took them I thought I was taking a photo of a star,,,,,

Practice - practice - practice........

I'm still working on mine....

LOTS OF LUCK
KEEP AT IT

WALT

manspam Loc: Michigan

Thank you for your quick response CraigFair. Sorry for my delay in responding, I was without a computer for the remainder of the weekend. I was hoping it was something like Venus, Jupiter or a nebula, but based on other comments I'm not quite sure. I'll keep scratching my head in wonder, but you guys are the experts.

8-)

manspam Loc: Michigan

Geez, just when I thought I captured something cool. Can I tell people like myself who know nothing about astrophotography its a nebula??? Kidding. Thanks for your reply.

manspam Loc: Michigan

Thank you Albuqshutterbug. I will try that on my next attempt, as well as trying it with my Canon t3i. Oddly, I get much better moon shots with my Nikon P510 bridge camera than with my Canon, even using the same settings. So my Nikon is my go-to camera for sky shots. My guess, from seeing some of the stellar shots of galaxies and astrophotography on this website, is that I probably need more extensive equipment as well as experience.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

What time of the night did you take the photos???
Craig

manspam Loc: Michigan

Thank you Walt, my thoughts exactly. I thought I captured something interesting. You're right....practice, practice, practice.

manspam Loc: Michigan

Hi Craig, I don't have the exif info with me right now. It was either around 8:00 pm or 11:00 pm. I live in southeast Michigan and was taking my dog outside when I noticed a very bright object in the sky. First thought it was a plane, until I noticed it wasn't moving. Went inside and grabbed my camera. Online research showed Venus was visible in that area so I wasn't sure if I got lucky capturing it.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

ManSpan at that time of night it had to be a really Bright Star. Venus, Mars and Jupiter at that time are still below the horizon.
APPARENT STAR DIST BRIGHTNESS LUMINOSITY Temperature TYPE
(LY) (Sun at (Sun = 1) of Surface(K) 32.6 LY=1)

1. Sirius 8.7 310 2.3x101 10,000 Bluish Main Sequence
+ White Dwarf

2. Arcturus 36 86 7.6x101 3,900 Reddish Giant

3. Vega 27 80 5.2x101 11,000 Bluish Main Sequence

4. Capella 45 76 1.3x102 5,200 Whitish Giant

5. Rigel 900 74 8.9x104 12,000 Bluish Super Giant

6. Procyon 11 59 7.6x100 6,500 Whitish Main Sequence
+ White Dwarf

7. Betelgeuse 520 57 2.0x104 3,300 Reddish Giant

8. Altair 16 41 1.0x101 8,500 Bluish Main Sequence

9. Aldebaran 68 39 6.9x102 3,800 Reddish Giant

10. Spica 220 34 1.9x103 20,000 Bluish Main Sequence

11. Antares 520 35 3.6x103 3,000 Reddish Giant

manspam Loc: Michigan

Wow Craig, that's a lot of info. Thanks so much for your research!

manspam Loc: Michigan

Craig, based on all of this I guess I'll just be left wondering if it was a camera glitch. I do know that it was about 15-20x bigger and brighter than the North star, and it was in the same location where the sun rises. I initially thought it was a plane flying low because I'm in close proximity to an airport. Certainly makes me want to pursue more astrophotography. Thanks for your time.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

This certainly looks like something out of focus. Only a bright planet or very bright star could do this. Venus doesn't rise until about 3:30 AM and Jupiter more than an hour after that. The brightest evening star to the east right now is Alderamin, and it is only something like 2nd magnitude. It can't be a nebula as those are quite dim. The star Sirius rises too late and is far to the south.

Just not sure what you were seeing.l.