A large part of photographing specific events is planning. Obviously, being in the right place at the right time is the key to successfully photographing an event that occurs only at particular places and times, but you can only plan when you know something is going to happen.
Alyn Wallace has put together this great video that lists the unmissable night sky events for the year ahead. From meteor showers, to supermoons, to eclipses, Wallace details dates of interest for night sky photographers. He also includes which hemisphere in which these events will be visible.
One of my favorite photography moments ever was when I traveled over 500 miles to Kentucky to photograph the eclipse in 2017. That event was well publicized, making it hard to miss. Other events, though, can sometimes go unnoticed, or you might find out about it too late to make a plan for the location at which you want to photograph the event. All too often, I find out about local events too late, despite keeping an eye out for them on state and local event sites. Hopefully, this video will help you avoid missing some of these night sky events this year.
Unlike some terrestrial events, one of the great things about night sky photography is that you can often choose your location, and that choice will often greatly affect your success or failure. I'm looking forward to several of these events, the first being the February 18th occultation of the Moon and Mars. Are you planning on shooting any of these events? Are there other events we should know about? Let me know in the comments!
