Aurora and Mars

A 180° panorama of a display of Northern Lights to the northeast, the first in many weeks for us in a Kp4 level display, with bright Mars amid clouds to the southeast, at right. Mars was near opposition and so nearly at its brightest at this time. The Big and Little Dippers are at left to the north; the Pleiades is right of centre to the east. Moonlight from the low gibbous Moon off frame to the southeast provides the illumination. Taken from home, Sept 25-26, 2020, in a stitch of 6 segments, all 20 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with the Sigma Art 14mm lens and Nikon D750. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.

The Heart and Soul Nebulas in Cassiopeia

The Heart Nebula (at right), aka IC 1805, and the Soul Nebula (at left), aka IC 1848 but also known as the Embryo Nebula, all in Cassiopeia. The small patch of nebulosity at upper right is NGC 896; the small and hard to distinguish star cluster above centre is NGC 1027. The loose star cluster at the heart of the Heart Nebula is Mel 15. The dust-reddened and small galaxies Maffei I and II are in the field at bottom right. This is a stack of: — 10 x 6-minutes at ISO 800 without a filter, — 4 x 12-minutes at ISO 2000 with an Optolong L-Enhance filter, — and 3 x 8-minutes at ISO 3200 with an IDAS LPR v3 filter … Taken as part of a series testing various filters. The IDAS did nearly as good a job as the L-Enhance. All were through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor with the Canon EOS Ra camera, and autoguided with the new Lacerta MGEN-3 stand-alone autoguider, using its dithering function to shift the images a few pixels between each exposure so when aligning any thermal noise specks average out. It worked very well. All taken without LENR or dark frames though this was a cool night, this first night of autumn, Sept. 22-23, 2020. Taken from home on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. All stacking, aligning and blending with Photoshop 2020.

Zodiacal Light with Venus and Mars

The Zodiacal Light before dawn on September 21, 2020 with Venus bright in the Zodiacal Light at left of centre, and Mars bright at far right. Orion and the winter stars are at centre. The Big Dipper is at far left/ This is a panorama of 6 segments, each untracked for 25 seconds at f/2 with the 14mm Sigma Art lens on the Nikon D750 at ISO 1600, and stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.

NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula in Cassiopeia

This is the fairly bright emission nebula NGC 281 in Cassiopeia near the star Alpha Cassiopeiae, or Schedir, at right. NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula, an obviously modern name but quickly becoming dated! This is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures with no filter, blended with 5 x 12-minute exposures with an Astronomik CLS broadband nebula filter, all with the Canon EOS Ra, at 1600 for the unfiltered shots and ISO 2500 for the filterered shots due to the filter factor. All were through the venerable Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm apo refractor at f/6. And on the AP Mach1 mount. Clouds prevented more filtered shots. Guiding was with the new Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider, using its function of also controlling the camera shutter and performing “dithering” to shift each image by a few pixels at random so thermal noise averages out when the images are stacked and aligned on the stars. For the test, I did not use Long Exposure Noise Reduction or any dark frames, to test the effectiveness of the dithering in averaging out the thernal nouse. It seemed to work fine! And the MGEN guided very accurately. In this case, all stacking and alignment was with Photoshop 2020. The Lacerta MGEN3 is made in Hungary and sold thru 365Astronomy in the U.K. where I bought it from.

Nebulosity in Cepheus

This wide-field image frames the prominent emission nebula IC 1396, at left, and the faint arcs of Sharpless 2-129 at right, in southern Cepheus. IC 1396 contains the dark Elephant Trunk Nebula at about the 3 o’clock position in the nebula. At the top edge of the nebula is the orange giant star Mu Cephei, aka Herschel’s Garnet Star. The dark nebula at top left is Barnard 169-70-71. The dark nebulas at the bottom of IC 1396 are B160, B162 and the snake-like B365. A small blue reflection nebula below and left of the Sharpless complex is VandenBurgh 140. This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered shots, all with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrographic refractor at its native f/5 and with the Canon EOS Ra: 6 x 8-minutes at ISO 1600 without the filter and 4 x 12-minutes at ISO 5000 with the Optolong L-Enhance filter, which reduces light by about 2 to 3 f-stops but really makes the H-alpha nebulas stand out. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop. LENR employed on all frames on this warm summer night to ensure the most accurate dark frame subtraction of thermal noise but at the cost of doubling the capture time.

Cocoon Nebula and Clusters

This area in Cygnus that contains the circular Cocoon Nebula, aka IC 5146, located at the end of the long dark nebula called the Dark Cigar but officially is Barnard 168. The nebulas are flanked by two open star clusters: NGC 7209 at far left just over the border in Lacerta, and Messier 39 at far right. NGC 7209 barely stands out amid the rich starfield here, just below an orange star, while M39 is bright but sparse at right. The clusters and dark nebula stand out well in binoculars but the Cocoon Nebula is a challenge to see in telescopes. This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrographic refractor at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 with LENR on as it was the warmest night of the summer, August 18, 2020. Aligned, stacked and median combined in Photoshop to eliminate some satellite trails. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here.

Altair, Tarazed and Barnard's E

A wide-field image of the area of sky around blue-white Altair, bright at centre, flanked by Alshain (Beta Aquilae) at bottom and orange Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae) at top. Above Tarazed is the dark nebula known as Barnard’s E, named for E.E. Barnard who first photographed and cataloged dark nebulas. The E consists of B143 (the darkest component) and the less prominent B142 below. B334 is at top right, while B340 is left of Tarazed. This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrographic refractor at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 with LENR on as it was the warmest night of the summer, August 18, 2020. Aligned, stacked and median combined in Photoshop to eliminate some satellite trails. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here.

The Scutum Starcloud with the Wild Duck Cluster

This is the bright region of the Milky Way known as the Scutum Starcloud, in the constellation of Scutum the Shield. The bright Messier star cluster. M11, aka the Wild Duck Cluster, is embedded in the starcloud at left. This is a wonderful area to scan with binoculars and this field of view with the little RedCat astrograph is similar to what binoculars would show. The mass of dark dusty nebulosity at top is Barnard 111 and B110. The dark nebula at right is B103. The smaller Messier open star cluster M26 is at bottom. At lower left is the small globular cluster NGC 6712 with the tiny (on this scale) cyan-colored planetary nebula IC 1295 beside it at left. At lower right beside the orange star Alpha Scuti is the star cluster NGC 6664 with smaller Trumpler 34 to the left of NGC 6624. Above M11 is the small open cluster NGC 6704. This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 with LENR on as it was the warmest night of the summer, August 18, 2020. Aligned, stacked and median combined in Photoshop to eliminate some satellite trails. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here.

Nebulas and Clusters Around the Small Sagittarius Starcloud

This is an impressive area of sky rich in bright and dark nebulas and open star clusters in Sagittarius and Serpens. This is closeup of the Small Sagittarius Starcloud, aka Messier 24, at bottom right, with the field extending north to include the nebulas M17, the Swan Nebula, and M16 at top right, the Eagle Nebula. Between M17 and M24 is the small star cluster M18. Patches of red and blue nebulosity at bottom right below M24 are IC 1283 and the blue reflection nebulas NGC 6589 and 6590. The prominent dark nebula at the right (west) edge of the Starcloud is Barnard 92 with its lone star embedded in it, with smaller B93 above it. At the left are the star clusters M25 (bottom) and NGC 6645, with the large dark nebula B312 above. This is a stack of 3 x 6-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 with LENR on as it was the warmest night of the summer, August 17, 2020. Aligned, stacked and mean combined in Photoshop. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here. Clouds thwarted more exposures.

North America Nebula NGC 7000 in Cygnus

The often-photographed (certainly by me) area of the North America Nebula, NGC 7000, near the bright star Deneb, which is in the frame at right, in Cygnus. The Pelican Nebula, IC 5067/70 is right of the North America, in the “Atlantic Ocean” so to speak. The nebulosity at bottom is the “Cygnus Arc,” IC 5068. The small patch of blue reflection nebulosity at top is IC 5076. The patches of dark nebulosity above the North America Nebula are B352 and B356. This is a stack and blend of: four exposures without a filter, each 8 minutes at ISO 800, and four exposures with an Optolong L-Enhance nebula filter to bring out the faintest nebulosity, each 16 minutes at ISO 1600. These are blended in with a Lighten mode. All were with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrographic refractor at its native f/5 and Canon EOS Ra camera, the factory filter-modified camera capable of recording this type of hydrogen-alpha emitting nebulas. Guided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera, on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. Taken from home on a perfect summer night on August 15, 2020.

M24 to M16 in the Milky Way

A closeup of the Small Sagittarius Starcloud, aka Messier 24, at bottom, with the field extending north to include the nebulas M17, the Swan Nebula, and M16 at top, the Eagle Nebula. Between M17 and M24 is the small star cluster M18. Patches of red and blue nebulosity at bottom are IC 1283 and the blue reflection nebulas NGC 6589 and 6590. The prominent dark nebula at the right edge of the Starcloud is Barnard 92 with its lone star embedded in it, with smaller B93 above it. My framing was just a little too far west to properly include the M25 star cluster at lower left. This is a stack of 12 exposures, of 4- and 8-minutes with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Aligned, stacked and mean combined in Photoshop. Taken on a perfect night from home on August 15, 2020 with this area just above my treetops. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here. I shot frames with and without Long Exposure Noise Reduction to test the difference on this warm summer night but saw little difference. But then again, thermal noise specks would be lost in the stars here! But LENR was not needed in this case.

Winter Stars Rising at Dawn in August

The stars of the northern winter sky rising at dawn on the morning of August 14, 2020, from home in southern Alberta. The waning crescent Moon is overexposed here, shining above bright Venus , then in southern Gemini as a bright “morning star” in the east. Mars is also bright and reddish, to the south at upper right. Orion is rising over the ripening wheatfield at centre. Above Orion is Taurus with the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. The bright star to the left and above the Moon is Capella in Auriga. Castor and Pollux are rising at far left. This is a stack of 4 images for the ground to smooth noise and 1 image for the sky, all with the 14mm Sigma Art lens at f/2.5 and Nikon D750 at ISO 800 for 25 seconds each. I added a mild Orton Glow effect with Luminar Flex.

Comet NEOWISE at Columbia Icefields (July 27, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 27, 2020 from the Columbia Icefields (Jasper National Park, Alberta) from the Toe of the Glacier parking lot, looking north over Sunwapta Lake, formed by the summer meltwater of Athabasca Glacier. So this is a portrait of ice in the sky and icy water on Earth. This was my parting shot of the comet, as it was fading rapidly at this time receding from Earth, though it was still naked eye. Plus the waxing Moon was going to be lighting the sky much more in the following week. So this was the night! While it was pale to the eye, the long expposure of the camera did pick up the blue ion and white dust tails very well. The ion tail extends about 15° and the dust tail at least 10°. The tails are certainly more prominent than in 99% of any comets we see any given year! So this was still a nice comet! Red and green bands of airglow, some faint magenta aurora on the horizon, and some lingering blue perpetual twilight at his northern latitude all tint the sky. The Big Dipper stars are at top. Arcturus is at far left. The orange star at bottom is Tania Australis, here made a little larger by it shining through some thin haze. This is an exposure blend of a stack of 4 x 4-minute untracked exposures for the ground, with 4 x 2-minute tracked and stacked exposures for the sky. Stacking the images smooths noise. Tracking the sky prevents star trailing in the long exposures required to reveal the faintest stars and the subtle comet tails. The camera was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. For the ground shots I simply turned the tracker motor off. All with the 24mm Sigma Art lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600 for the ground and ISO 3200 for the sky. Topaz Sharpen AI applied to the ground; Topaz DeNoise AI applied to the sky. In camera LENR employed on all shots on this warm night. The foreground is lit in part by lights from the Icefields Centre buildings off camera to the right.

Milky Way over Mount Andromeda at Moonset

The Milky Way and galactic core area over Mount Andromeda (centre), Mount Athabasca (left) and the Athabasca Glacier (right) at the Columbia Icefields, on a very clear night July 27, 2020. I shot this as the waxing quarter Moon was still up but behind Snow Dome at far right, and about to set. Warm low-angle moonlight illuminates the peaks at left with “bronze hour” lunar alpen glow, and brightens the sky at right, plus adds the blue tint to the sky. But in the clear mountain air, the Milky Way and its starclouds still show up very well. The constellations of Aquila and Scutum are at centre. This is an exposure blend of 4 x 1.5-minutes, untracked at f/2 at ISO 1600 for the ground, followed immediately by 3 x 1.5-minutes at f/2.8 and ISO 3200 for the sky, with the sky exposures tracked on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. All with the 20mm Sigma Art lens and Canon EOS Ra, with the lens adapted to the camera with a Metabones adapter.

Comet over the Columbia Icefields at Moonset

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 27, 2020, at right, over the Columbia Icefields with the Moon still lighting the peaks in a warm “bronze hour” light for a lunar alpenglow. The Moon is behind Snowdome Peak at centre and is also still lighting the sky a deep blue. The Milky Way is at left over Mount Andromeda. Arcturus is the bright star at top centre. This was more or less my parting shot of the comet, as it was fading rapidly at this time receding from Earth, though it was still naked eye. Plus the waxing Moon was going to be lighting the sky much more in the following week. So this was the night! Shooting a week earlier when the comet was brighter and larger would have been nice, but clouds would have got in the way. This was shot during a run of unusually clear nights at the Icefields, the first good clear nights according to the locals. I shot this during the brief “bronze hour” interval immediately after the Moon had disappeared behind Snowdome but was still lighting the peaks. So to be clear — the peaks are lit by the setting Moon, not by the Sun. This is not a composite of day and night shots; it is a well-timed and planned panorama shot as quickly as possible over a few minutes before the lighting changed. Lingering twilight lights the horizon down the Sunwapta Valley at right. The famous Athabasca Glacier is just left of centre; Snowdome Glacier is right of centre, with the glacial Sunwapta Lake in the foreground. Mount Athabasca is at far left with its glacier. This is a 17-segment (!) panorama with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.5 and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600, for 20 seconds each, untracked. The overlap was more than is normally needed but the segments stitched perfectly with Adobe Camera Raw, which is not always the case with such scenes. LENR employed on all segments when shooting on this warm night. Dodging and burning applied to accentuate highlights and shadows. Topaz Sharpen AI applied. The original is over 27,000 pixels wide.

Alpenglow at the Icefields

The last rays of the setting Sun catch the peaks around the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park, Alberta, on July 27, 2020. The waxing quarter Moon shines over Mount Andromeda and sunlight illuminates the glacier on Mount Athabasca at left. The famous Athabasca Glacier itself is at centre. Snow Dome Glacier is at right. The meltwater lake in the middle distance is Sunwapta Lake. This is a panorama cropped in from the original 10 segments, each with the 35mm lens and Canon EOS Ra camera, all at ISO 100 and 1/25 sec at f/8. Stitched in Adobe Camera Raw. Shot from the moraine at the start of the access road across the forefield.

Milky Way Through the Pines

The summer Milky Way with the Summer Triangle stars through pine trees, shot from the Howse Pass Viewpoint at Saskatchewan River Crossing, Banff National Park, Alberta. Jupiter is the bright object at the bottom. This is an exposure blend of a stack of 4 x 2-minute untracked exposures at ISO 6400 for the ground and 2 x 1-minute tracked exposures at ISO 6400 for the sky, with the Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra camera. The camera was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. An Orton soft glow filter added with Luminar Flex. Lights from the Saskatchewan Crosssing Resort lights the treetops.

Planets and Milky Way Over Saskatchewan River Crossing

Jupiter (brightest), Saturn (to the left), and the Milky Way over the Saskatchewan River and the area of Howse Pass, on July 26, 2020. Mount Cephren is at left; the scene is framed to include Cephren. The nebulas and star clouds of the galactic centre area at right show up well on this very clear night. The bright Small Sagittarius Starcloud, aka M24, is most obvious, flanked by the star clusters M23 and M25 to the side, and the nebulas M17 and M16 above, and M8 and M20 below. The fuzzy globular cluster M22 is to the left of the large Lagoon Nebula, M8. Green airglow tints the sky. This is an exposure blend of a stack of 4 x 2-minute untracked exposures for the ground at ISO 1600 (exposed long to bring out ground details), with 2 x 1-minute tracked and stacked exposures at ISO 3200 for the sky. Shot from the Howse Pass Viewpoint area off the Icefields Parkway at Saskatchewan River Crossing. The camera was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. For the ground shots I simply turned the tracker motor off. All with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra, a filter-modified camera. Topaz Sharpen AI applied to the ground; Topaz DeNoise AI applied to the sky. In camera LENR employed on all shots on this warm night. An Orton soft glow effect added to the sky with Luminar Flex plug-in.

Comet NEOWISE and Ursa Major Over Mount Wilson (July 26, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 26, 2020 from Saskatchewan River Crossing in Banff National Park, Alberta. The comet is just about to set behind Mount Wilson, the iconic peak in the area. A meteor appears at top in the image framed to include the Big Dipper and the constellation of Ursa Major. While the comet was fading, its blue ion and white dust tails still show up well. It was from near here that scientist and explorer James Hector, member of the 1858-59 Palliser Expediton, observed Comet Donati on September 10, 1858 as they made their way up the valleys of the Bow, Mistaya, Howse and Saskatchewan Rivers, as part of a British scientific expedition to map the area and much of southern Alberta. This is an exposure blend of a stack of 4 x 2-minute untracked exposures for the ground at ISO 800 (exposed long to bring out ground details), with 3 x 30-second tracked and stacked exposures at ISO 1600 for the sky. I shot short exposures for the sky to catch the comet before it set. The meteor was on one frame of the sky stack layered and blended in separately. The camera was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. For the ground shots I simply turned the tracker motor off. All with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra. Topaz Sharpen AI applied to the ground. In camera LENR employed on all shots on this warm night. Shot from the parking lot of the Howse Pass Viewpoint area off the Icefields Parkway.

Comet NEOWISE at Saskatchewan River Crosssing (July 26, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 26, 2020 from the area of Saskatchewan River Crossing in Banff National Park, Alberta. It was from near here that scientist and explorer James Hector, member of the 1858-59 Palliser Expediton, observed Comet Donati on September 10, 1858 as they made their way up the valleys of the Bow, Mistaya, Howse and Saskatchewan Rivers, as part of a British scientific expedition to map the area and much of southern Alberta. Mount Wilson at right is lit in part by the setting Moon out of sight behind the foreground hill and by lingering summer twilight lighting the horizon over the Saskatchewan River valley at centre. This is an exposure blend of a stack of 4 x 2-minute untracked exposures for the ground at ISO 200, with 3 x 1-minute tracked and stacked exposures at ISO 400 for the sky. Stacking the images smooths noise. Tracking the sky prevents star trailing in the long exposures needed to reveal lots of stars and the fading comet well. The camera was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. For the ground shots I simply turned the tracker motor off. All with the 35mm Canon Art lens at f/2.8 and Canon EOS Ra. Topaz Sharpen AI applied to the ground. In camera LENR employed on all shots on this warm night.

Comet NEOWISE and Big Dipper Over Badlands (July 22, 2020)

Another incredible sky this night! This is Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over the badlands formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta on July 22-23, 2020, with the Big Dipper above. A very active thunderstorm system moving northeastward this night but well to the west of me lights the horizon. Parallel bands of red and green airglow tint the sky, as does the blue of lingering summer twilight. Even with the bright sky the comet’s blue ion tail can be traced up to and past the Bowl of the Big Dipper. This is an exposure blend, with the landscape from a stack of seven exposures from 2.5 to 3.5 minutes long at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, stacked to smooth noise, blended with a single untracked 30-second exposure for the sky at ISO 6400 at f/2, all with the Sigma 24mm lens and Canon EOS Ra camera. The ground is illuminated by starlight and sky light only; no light painting was used here. Topaz DeNoise AI applied to the sky; Sharpen AI applied to the ground. Some light sculpting applied to the ground with a Dodge and Burn layer and a luminosity mask, to make the foreground less flat in lighting.

Comet NEOWISE Reflection (July 20, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) reflected in the still waters this night of Crawling Lake in southern Alberta. A dim aurora at right colours the sky magenta. Lingering twilight colours the sky blue. A meteor or more likely a flaring satellite appears at right and is also reflected in the water. Even in this short exposure, the two tails — dust and ion — are visible. This was July 20, 2020. The main image content is a single untracked exposure of 25 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 3200 with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII. The distant clouds, horizon, and water in the distance and in the immediate foreground without stars is from an average stack of 7 exposures, all at the above settings, to smooth noise. I shot this from Crawling Lake in southern Alberta on a near perfect night, though distant clouds are lit by yellow light pollution.

Comet NEOWISE and Big Dipper (July 20, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over the still waters this night of Crawling Lake in southern Alberta. The Big Dipper is at top. Even in this short exposure, the two tails — dust and ion — are visible. This was July 20, 2020. The blue ion tail is extending up into the Bowl of the Big Dipper, for some 20° in length. Very impressive! The main image content is a single untracked exposure of 20 seconds at f/2.2 and ISO 3200 with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII. The distant clouds, horizon, and water in the distance and in the immedate foregound without stars is from an average stack of 6 exposures, all at the above settings, to smooth noise. I shot this from Crawling Lake in southern Alberta on a near perfect night, though distant clouds are lit by yellow light pollution.

Comet NEOWISE Below the Dipper Bowl (July 20, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) in a tracked close-up on July 20, 2020, showing the straight blue ion tail and the curving whitish-yellow dust tail. Even the ion tail was visible in binoculars and traceable out for 12° or so, or two 10x binocular fields. Here in the processed image it extends up into and beyond the Bowl of the Big Dipper, a distance of 20°. The curving dust tail extends about 15°. A bit of cyan colour is visible around the head of the comet. The bright galaxies M81 and M82, very tiny here, are at upper right. The two pairs of stars either side of the comet head are Tania (left) and Talitha (right), in pairs with the two stars each labeled Borealis and Australis. They form the feet of Ursa Major, but are also part of the asterism known as the Three Leaps of the Gazelle along with another pair to the west off frame at left. This is a median stack of six 1.5-minute successive exposures with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 and Sigma 50mm lens at f/2.8, on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker but unguided. Stacked and aligned automatically in Photoshop with the Scripts>Statistics function. Applications of Curves brings out the fainter tails without blowing out the bright head. I applied extensive sets of gradient masks to help remove the sky gradients toward the bottom (horizon). However, inevtiably some sky gradient colours remain. An application of ON1 Dynamic Constrast and a high pass filter helped bring out the ion tail details and subtle banding structure in the dust tail. Other than that I did not apply any local adjustments to the ion tail to accentuate its brightness relative to the dust tail. But as always, the long exposure of a camera reveals more than the eye can see. I shot this from Crawling Lake in southern Alberta on a near perfect night, though some light cloud or possible airglow still discolours the sky.