Ray Tolomeo Photogallery


With a nod to the late, great Ronnie James Dio, a place for my images caught in time.


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the planets





Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter (and its four Galilean moons), and Saturn



Venus and Saturn @ Lake Ashby, January 21, 2023



Skies cleared in time to catch Venus (brightest) and Saturn (right above her) setting over and reflected in Lake Ashby near Warrenton, Virgina, in the evening twilight last night. The bright star Deneb Algedi is also easily visible to the left of Venus.


Moon, Mercury, and Venus, December 24, 2022



The crescent Moon, Mercury, and Venus (on the horizon) are captured as seen from near Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, Virginia, about an hour after sunset on Christmas Eve.



Moon and Mars, December 7, 2022



On this evening, the Moon and Mars were at opposition from the Earth--meaning they were directly on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun--and as viewed from Bristow, Virginia, very close to each other. The shot was actually helped by the fact that there was a fairly heavy fog in the air that cut down on the brightness of the full Moon.


Venus, Jupiter and Mars at Dawn, May 29, 2022



As viewed from Wakefield School in The Plains, Virginia, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are seen in the early morning sky with Jupiter and Mars making a close approach. Click here for an upclose view of Jupiter, its Galilean moon, and Mars.



Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn at Dawn, April 27, 2022



Just after shooting the ISS to the west shortly after 5 a.m. on April 27, 2022, I turned around and pointed to the east where the crescent Moon was rising with Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all lined up as seen from The Nokesville School in Nokesville, VA.


Pre-Dawn Appearance of Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Moon, March 29, 2022



Venus, Saturn, Mars, and the Moon are seen just before sunrise on March 29, 2022, as viewed from behind The Nokesville School in Nokesville, VA.


Mercury, Venus, and Mars, February 9, 2022



Mercury, Venus, and Mars as seen from The Nokesville School in Nokesville, VA in the early morning of February 9, 2022. Click here for a higher quality, unlabeled version.



Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and the Moon, January 4, 2022



This 2.5 second exposure captures the crescent Moon with Earth shine joined by Jupiter (top left), Saturn (right of the Moon), and Mercury (lower right), as seen from the Wakefield School in The Plains, VA.


The Moon and Venus, June 12, 2021



Not long after sunset as viewed from the dam at Lake Ashby near Warrenton, VA, the pair put on a very nice showing in the painted sky after a rather dreary day in the area.


Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, March 10, 2021



These are the views that make getting up and heading out in the dark well worth it. When the horizon provides a natural filter to lessen the relative blaze of the crescent Moon so that the planets in the sky--Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn (left to right)--are all in perfect balance..... This 6 second exposure was taken from behind The Nokesville School in Nokesville, VA, and was the final image of a series of days beginning at the end of February when the three planets began to show themselves at sunrise.



Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter, Jan 14, 2001



From a spot in Nokesville, Va. Luckily the weather cleared up to create both a fantastic sunset and allow the capture of these three together. If you follow the pointing of the crescent Moon, Jupiter is in the center of the photo, above the transmission towers, and Mercury is further down along that same line to the right.



Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury, Jan 9, 2021



Jupiter is on top, Mercury is at the bottom. Visible together for only about 15 minutes from my vantage point in Nokesville, Va.



Third day of Jupiter and Saturn conjunction, Dec 22, 2020



As viewed with the Victory Baptist Church, Nokesville, in the foreground, with the Galilean Moons visible.


Christmas conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, Dec 21, 2020



As viewed from Hazelwood Dr, Nokesville, VA.



Saturn and Jupiter, Dec 20, 2001



Close-up view as the two giant planets seemingly come together as viewed from Hazelwood Dr., Nokesville, VA. Visible with Jupiter are its four Galilean Moon (top to bottom), Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa. In between Callisto and Ganymede is the star, HD 191250.



Saturn, Jupiter, Moon, October 22, 2020



Saturn is on top of this trio shining brightly as seen from Manassas Battlefield Park.



Moon and Venus, Clear Lake, January 28, 2020



Clear Lake, near Houston, Tx, provided this foreground for viewing the crescent Moon and Venus.



Jupiter and Mars, March 20, 2020



Early morning, just before sunrise, Jupiter and Mars were close enough for both to be in the frame at full zoom (600mm). At about 1 degree of separation, this was as close as the two planets would appear in 2020. Taken from my driveway in Bristow, VA, three of Jupiter's Galilean Moons are visible Europa to the left and Ganymede and Callisto to the right (Io is very close to Jupiter and not visible through the giant planet's glare).


Moon, Jupiter, Mars, March 18, 2020



In the early morning, just before sunrise, this image was taken of the three getting together from my driveway in Bristow, VA. Three of Jupiter's Galilean Moons--Io, Ganymede, and Callisto (l-r)--are visible to the right of the giant planet.



Jupiter and moons, March 18, 2020



Close up shot of Jupiter, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto. Europa is in front of Jupiter and therefore not visible.



Jupiter, May 9, 2020



As the giant planets approached opposition--meaning the Earth is on a line between the Sun and the planets--I was able to get some of the best close up shots. No telescope involved, just my camera and Tamron 150mm-600mm zoom lens at 5 a.m.



Saturn, May 9, 2020



Taken when Saturn and Earth were "only" 900 million miles apart.



Venus and Moon, December 28, 2019



Venus and the crescent Moon shine brightly over my neighbor's house in the early evening.



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Ray Tolomeo Photogallery



Bristow, Virginia


All Images on this site are copyrighted by Raymond Tolomeo