Astral phenomena are not my speciality, nor do I have equipment to get those really great images. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to capture them, however. The weather in Chicagoland is almost always cloudy on nights of importance. So it was December 20, 2020 for the Winter Solstice and the “Bethlehem Star” as the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter was called. However, on December 21, while there were clouds, there was clear sky. It was very cold, but me, my camera and tripod and my husband ventured out to find a viewing spot. We ended up at Settler’s Hill in Geneva. I climbed up to the top of the hill (a landfill) and set up my tripod. What would come first — the conjunction visible or the cloud front moving in. I knew from an app on my iPad about where to look, but there are so many “lights” in the sky that are not stars or planets! Planes to O’Hare populate the skies. So we watched, and waited. I thought there was a bright light in about the right spot, but it would appear and disappear. Clouds! I finally spotted what I think was the conjunction, at first above the cloud bank, and then a bit later, below the cloud bank. The detail is not good. This is more about effort and challenge. A longer lens, you might see the rings of Saturn like some have captured. In my images, it is more about the ambiance, the sunset color and the relative placement of the conjunction to the horizon. By the end, my fingers were frozen (forgot gloves) and my husband had to light the path down the hill. But I did have fun, up high in the cold, watching a sunset and trying to spot the conjunction.
