Jupiter and Venus Above Lake Pozzillo

From the photographer: “An image of the beautiful conjunction between Jupiter and Venus that took place at twilight on March 1, 2023. It was photographed from the shores of Lake Pozzillo, an artificial reservoir in central Sicily that extends between the municipalities of Regalbuto and Agira.

The latter town was built on a small hill, Mount Teja, and boasts ancient origins dating back to the Sicani. Later it became a Greek and then Roman colony. In the first century BC. it was the birthplace of Diodorus Siculus, a famous Sicilian historian known for his work entitled Bibliotheca Historica.

The photograph captures the moment when the conjunction is about to be hidden by clouds. The lake is only slightly moved by a small breeze and its waters reflect the lights of the town and the reflections of the two planets, which lap a small islet that emerged from the waters due to the drought which decreased the amount of water in the lake. ‘overgrown. The colors are rich in contrasts between the yellow reflections and the blue of the sky also due to the presence of the Moon among which the ethereal light of Jupiter and Venus is painted. It’s a placid atmosphere, broken only by the sound of the camera clicking.”

Technical details: Canon 6d, Sigma 105mm f/2.2, 2.5 sec, iso 800, stack of 13 shots