@2fbs.bsky.social Still ticking.

Venus and Regulus will still be close companions in the dusk tonight ... and very few clouds here so far.

Fairly cloudy here but hoping to catch this pair just before 6pm 10th July 2026, Venus and Regulus will be in conjunction.

Fishy breakfast time.

Venus in the dusk 8 July 2026. That star above is Regulus aka Alpha Leonis, the brightest star in Leo.

Yum yum times. The first cat there is our shy waif Fearless, she is a success story.

A little wake up call on the AI assistants on your phones, in this case Google Gemini. My wife's phone was talking without being asked .. had heard what it considered to be a question in background conversation and launched itself to be the ever helpful assistant. TURNED OFF!

Morning Moon around 10am 8th July 2026.

Venus still dominates the North West and continues seemingly upward. Each night not only higher but travelling quickly Southward until early September when it will begin it's dive around the sun, or so it appears to us on Earth.

Mr Fluffs has graced us with his presence. A lovely gentle cat who goes off for a week sometimes then recharges his batteries by sticking around for a few days. Much loved and very welcome here.

Venus is hardly a feature in tonight's evening sky as she is shrouded in cloud. Pixel 8a 6July 2026.

When life gives you Jonquils... Went all the way into town with my pocket Rocket ready for anything interesting but these Jonquils in my driveway won the competition.

Calling all cats.

My pocket Rocket continues to amaze me mostly for it's convenience (in my pocket) but it can put out a reasonable image of the Moon in light cloud. Here in Programme mode with the EV set to -1. Samsung WB800f (2013)

Yet another slightly nippy sundown.

DO NOT DISTURB Fishy Breakfast time ... we will play later but right now we are very busy.

And now for something completely different ... while America mourns the 4th of July and how good it could have been without cheats and liars ... I bring you the Moon at 8 am. Commiserations for your nation's 250th birthday MAGA, you have made the whole world miserable.

Venus still the main feature in the North West and I'm sure with effort I could have got Jupiter in the frame but I am not in fit shape to stumble over uneven ground in the dark for that shot. Google Pixel 8a 4July 2026.

A morning Moon at sunrise Captured on the Nikon D7100 w 300mm. 4th July 2026.

Tonight we have Venus on high and almost in the trees is Jupiter. Googy Pixie 8a 3rd July 2026

And the sun sets again on Dave's Fogey Farm and Home for Wayward Kitties. Google Pixel 8a

The Morning of the 3rd of July 2026 and the Moon was just sitting out there. Canon 550D 300mm, Pixlr Express Editor

Not much I know but was putting a cat out for the night and had my pocket rocket Samsung Compact handy for a Moon shot in clouds. No time for fiddling with better settings.

Normally I would make adjustments but this shot was good straight off the camera. Venus the remaining of the recent planetary conjunction. Google Pixel 8a 2July26.

For joy for joy ... found my little "Pocket Rocket" Samsung Compact and it did THIS for me. Sunset 2 July 2026 Samsung WB800F.

After morning rassles Tabs cat and the Marley just chillin'.

This be the Fearless Cat, came to us as terrorised abandoned 4 week kit when her owners moved and our cats adopted her. Been here 12 months and had kits at Christmas, since spayed. Still suffers PTSD but loves us and trusts us finally. We still have 2 kits.

Only a few more shots before we lose Jupiter. Mercury has already departed the scene but Venus climbs ever higher. Bonus ... Southern Cross. 29 July 2026

New set of Clark Kents, too many people were recognizing me.

Just when I thought tonight would be a waste of time a lonely Venus commanded my attention as she sets in my tree, 28 June 2026.

Took 2 planet shots tonight, thought I missed Jupiter in pic 2 but he is there. Mercury is a no show for me, 26 June 26.

Out in the East we have a very presentable Moon in the afternoon as the sun sets. Nikon D7100 w 300mm AiS lens.

Half a box of mushrooms were left unsold yesterday so I will buy them at the asking price rather than waste them. Frozen they are fine food so guess what we are having for lunch.

A nice daytime Moon about 3:30pm 25June2026. Nikon D7100 w 300mm AiS Nikoor lens from 1979.

Yes Virginia .. there is a Moon tonight. Shot with the Kodak AZ405 (puppy shooter).

Another clear afternoon at Dave's El Rancho de Pussy Cat.

Playing lenses again and this Lightdow 85mm portrait lens is not cut out for astro, The top 1/3 of this frame is the Southern Cross laying on it's side with the Carina Region spread out below. Sony A7 w 85mm F/1.8.

Nothing to mar my view.

Went out in the cold last night for a shot on the Sony A7 w a 50mm lens, the region around the Carina Nebula now below the Southern Cross. Carina is in the lower half pic1 with the Southern Pleiades left pic 2 and the Wishing Well cluster to the right pic 3. Heavily cropped.

At 56.6% on 22nd June 2026 the Moon is shining nicely in the west as it descends closer to the horizon. Canon 550D w 75-250mm lens.

A glorious sunset for 22June 2026, bodes well for planets in the North West.

Reduced to the simplest components with no pesky nebulae and fussy details to obscure the main targets we have in pic1 Scorpio and pic2 the Southern Cross. Sony A7 w Sigma 24mm F/2.8.

Clear skies on the Liverpool Plains Australia and the Planetary alignment is still giving us a good view. Venus is bright and climbing high to the right leaving Jupiter far below, then a short distance to a dim Mercury lower again on the same alignment. Pixel 8a 21st June 2026

And this afternoon's shot, left edited in Google Pixel 8a camera.

First Moon shot with the new fancy schmancy full frame Sony A7 camera and a 180mm lens, not impressive really, overly cropped. Will try later with a 300mm lens.

Had a little play with a Mono file I took with the Nikon D7100 in early March last year. Adjusted the light levels and cleaned up a few imperfections in Pixlr Online Web Editor. Original on the right.

Damn it is soo hard for Angus Taylor to invent new shit to throw at Labor for them implementing one of HIS suggestions but he is giving it his best.

The Lightdow 85mm F/1.8 Portrait is NOT myfavorite lens but it IS Full Frame, I can fit everything I see in the viewfinder into the image, corners and all. This is not my best but demonstrates the extra info full frame sensors can get when you zoom in even with the wrong lens.

Due to circumstances beyond my control the usual image of planets in conjunction has been cancelled.

When you put a crop sensor lens on a Full Frame camera you don't lose any image but first appearances are it is like viewing through a tunnel, easily corrected in pic2. Sony A7 and TT Artisans 17mm, F/1.4, 5:47am 18Jun26.