This is the planetary and moon grouping that took place on May 1, 2011. A very thin crescent moon is in the upper left corner with Jupiter and Mars (upper left of Jupiter) down near the horizon. Going toward the upper right is Mercury and then bright Venus close to the corner. This is a single exposure taken on a fixed tripod a little before sunrise. The planets are almost in a straight line which is along the plane of our solar system known as the ecliptic.
Photographer: Rick Scott
Date: May 1, 2011
Camera: Canon EOS 40D digital camera
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM set to 70mm
Exposure: 1/4 second at f/4.5, ISO 400
Camera Mode: RAW
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 for RAW conversion and image processing
Updated: February 12, 2015