S. T. Ruth Photography

05/13/2026

Silver Needle Galaxy (NGC4244)

05/05/2026

03/07/2026

A quick astro session before bedtime, just ahead of the incoming clouds, yielded a stunning shot of Betelgeuse and a pretty decent capture of The Running Man Nebula. Not too shabby for such a short session.

03/01/2026

🌌✨ March 2026 — Top Astronomical Events (With Time) ✨🌌

March offers an exciting lineup of celestial events — from a close Moon–star encounter to a spectacular Blood Moon and the seasonal equinox. Here’s what to watch and when (times in UTC, may vary slightly by location):

📅 March 2 — Moon Near Regulus
🕒 Closest approach: ~18:00 UTC
🌙 A 99% illuminated Moon passes extremely close to Regulus in Leo.
🔭 Visible to the naked eye and binoculars.
🌏 Lunar occultation visible from parts of East Asia.

📅 March 3 — Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)
🕒 Totality: ~06:04–07:00 UTC
🔴 The Moon passes fully through Earth’s umbra, glowing deep red.
🌍 Visible across eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America.

📅 March 18 — Comet 88P/Howell at Perihelion
🕒 Perihelion: ~00:00 UTC
☄️ 88P/Howell reaches its closest point to the Sun — best seen with telescopes.

📅 March 20 — March Equinox
🕒 Equinox moment: 03:06 UTC
🌍 Day and night are nearly equal worldwide.
🌱 Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere, 🍂 autumn in the Southern.

📅 March 23 — Moon Near Uranus
🕒 Closest approach: ~21:00 UTC
🌙 Moon passes close to Uranus — binoculars recommended.

📅 March 27 — Moon Near Pollux
🕒 Closest approach: ~19:00 UTC
🌙 A lovely pairing with Pollux in Gemini.

✨ Set your reminders, check your local times, and enjoy the show.
🌠 Happy Sky Watching!

03/01/2026

Unfortunately, I missed the parade of planets because I set up too late and three of them had already dipped below the horizon. I did manage to capture a video of the moon before the clouds rolled in, though.