Moon and Mercury Shine Together in Amateur Photo

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Four Percent Illuminated Moon Conjunction with Mercury
Victor C. Rogus of Jadwin, Mo. captured this image of a 4 percent illuminated moon in conjunction with the planet Mercury at roughly 6 a.m. local time on Feb. 27, 2014. He used a Cannon 60Da camera with a Baader Vario Finder as a lens. The exposure was 1/8 second with an ISO selection of 800 and an f stop of 4.1. (Image credit: Victor C. Rogus)

An avid night sky photographer endured the bitter cold to capture this delightful image of moon in conjunction with the planet Mercury.

Photographer Victor C. Rogus of Jadwin, Mo., took the image at roughly 6 a.m. local time on Feb. 27 using a Cannon 60Da camera with a Baader Vario Finder as a lens. The exposure was 1/8 second with an ISO selection of 800 and an f stop of 4.1.

It was an exceptionally frigid night, Rogus recalled, with the moon about 4-percent illuminated as Mercury shined on. [Amazing Night Sky Photos for April 2014] 

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"Still shaking off the cold," Rogus told Space.com at the time.

To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.

Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

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Nina Sen
Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.