Atmospheric - Noctilucent Clouds
Auroral Arc and Noctilucent Clouds (Aug 7, 2022)
An arc of a Kp-5 aurora early in the evening just starting a show, but with a fading display of noctilucent clouds low in the north as well. An unusual combination to get them both, and this was the latest sighting of NLCs for me from my latitude of 51° N. Capella is low at centre, with the stars of Perseus above. Moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon low in the southwest illuminates the scene. Taken from home in southern Alberta, Canada. This is a panorama of 9 segments with the Canon R5 at ISO 400, and Canon RF15-35mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8 for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Late Season Noctilucent Clouds (Aug 7, 2022)
This is a telephoto lens panorama of a low and late-season display of noctilucent clouds in the north on August 7, 2022. This was the latest I had seen NLCs from my latitude of 51° N. This was taken from home in southern Alberta on a night which also featured a Kp5-level aurora show that included STEVE. Light from the waxing gibbous Moon illuminates the scene. Capella is at far right. This is a panorama of 5 segments, each 30 seconds with the Canon R5 at ISO 200, and RF70-20mm lens at f/4 and 100mm. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Selfie with a Grand NLC Display at Dawn
Me under a superb and extensive display of noctilucent clouds at dawn on July 16, 2022, with the clouds reaching up to the zenith as the sky brightened. Capella is the star right of centre; Venus is rising at lower right. This is looking northeast to the dawn twilight. Taken from home in southern Alberta, in a single 4-second exposure at f/4 with the RF15-35mm lens at 15mm and Canon Ra at ISO 100.
A Grand Display of Noctilucent Clouds
A superb and extensive display of noctilucent clouds at dawn on July 16, 2022, with the clouds reaching up to the zenith as the sky brightened. Capella is the star right of centre; Venus is rising at lower right. This is looking northeast to the dawn twilight. Taken from home in southern Alberta, in a single 3.2-second exposure at f/4 with the RF15-35mm lens at 15mm and Canon Ra at ISO 100.
Panorama of a Grand Display of Noctilucent Clouds
A superb and extensive "grand display" of noctilucent clouds at dawn on July 16, 2022, with the clouds eventually reaching up to the zenith as the sky brightened. Many ripples and wave structures are visible in the clouds. Capella is the star right of top centre; Venus is rising at lower right; Mars is at upper right. This is looking northeast to the dawn twilight. Taken from home from southern Alberta, at about 4:20 am July 16, 2022, in a panorama of 7 segments, each 1.3-second exposures at f/2.8 with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. The original is 19,500 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Cloud Arc over Canola Field (Later Panorama)
A panorama of an arc of noctilucent clouds over a ripening field of yellow canola, on July 14, 2022 from southern Alberta near Hussar. This was about 11:35 pm MDT with the NLCs beginning to diminish in height. The top edge is showing a red rim from red light from the setting sun illuminating the edge of the clouds at their great height, some 80 km up. The waxing gibbous Moon was rising in the southeast opposite this view but was providing only slight warm illumination. The ground is illuminated mostly by twilight, and I have brightened it to bring out the canola colours and the colour contrast between earth and sky, and to compress the naturally high dynamic range in the scene. There is a panorama version of this scene taken 15 minutes earlier showing the NLCs with a greater vertical height set into a brighter sky. Capella is the bright star at right of centre. This is a panorama cropped from 9 segments, each 25 second at f/5.6 with the Canon RF24-105mm lens at 56mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Noctilucent Cloud Arc over Canola Field (Early Panorama)
A panorama of an arc of noctilucent clouds over a ripening field of yellow canola, on July 14, 2022 from southern Alberta near Hussar. This was about 11:20 pm MDT with the NLCs near their peak. They reached a little higher when they first appeared a few minutes earlier in the brighter sky, but capturing them is always a balance between getting them at their maximum height vs. the darkness of the sky background to make the fainter structures stand out. The foreground is illuminated mostly by twilight, and I have brightened it to bring out the canola colours and the colour contrast between earth and sky, and to compress the naturally high dynamic range in the scene. Capella is the bright star at right of centre. This is a panorama cropped from 10 segments, each 10 second at f/4 with the Canon RF24-105mm lens at 56mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 200. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
An arc of modest aurora borealis (Northern Lights) across the northern horizon, above a prairie meadow in the light of a bright waxing gibbous Moon, a day before Full. This was just after midnight on July 11/12, 2022 when the sky was also still lit by summer twilight colours, and with a weak display of noctilucent clouds also visible low in the northwest at left. The auroral curtains exhibit the usual green band and rays, but also upper altitude reds and purples and a faint blue tint at the very tops where the aurora is lit by the Sun. The aurora was never bright this night (Kp Index was 3 or 4 at best) and even this level of intensity lasted only a couple of minutes, just enough time to shoot the panorama segments. The stars of Perseus and Andromeda are at right rising in the northeast; some stars of Ursa Major are at left in the northwest. Capella in Auriga shines at centre almost due north. This is a panorama of 6 segments, each 20 seconds, with the RF28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/4, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Taken from near home in southern Alberta, Canada, latitude 51° N. Wind this night kept the mosquitoes off but did blur the foreground flowers. A mild Orton effect added to the entire scene with Luminar AI.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Canola Field (July 10, 2022)
A panorama of noctilucent clouds to the northwest near midnight on the evening of July 10-11, 2022, over a ripening field of yellow canola in southern Alberta, Canada. This was later in the display when the NLCs had faded somewhat, but the sky colours were still prominent. Foreground illumination is from the bright waxing gibbous Moon to the south, making for a nice contrast of colours between earth and sky. Capella is the bright star at far right to the north. The bright blue-white NLCs at high altitude in our atmosphere near the edge of space also contrast with the dark and low tropospheric weather clouds seen in silhouette. As a bonus — can you spot the deer? It posed for a while during one of the long exposures. This is a crop from 9 segments with the RF24-105mm lens at 105mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 800, and all 10 seconds. The original cropped panorama is 32,500 pixels wide. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Shot from near home in Alberta.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Hill and Road (July 10, 2022)
A panorama of noctilucent clouds to the northwest just before midnight on the evening of July 10-11, 2022, over a hill and red farm road in southern Alberta, Canada. Foreground illumination is from the bright waxing gibbous Moon to the south, making for a nice contrast of colours between earth and sky. Capella is the bright star at right to the north down the farm road. At far right are the stars of Perseus in the northeast. This is an uncropped panorama from 9 segments with the RF24-105mm lens at 105mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400, and all 10 seconds. The original panorama is 24,200 pixels wide. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Shot from near home in Alberta.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Prairie Field - Wide-Angle View (July 7, 2022)
A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:50 pm MDT. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground. This is a 3-segment panorama with the RF24-105mm lens at 43mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. All 15-second exposures. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There is a version of this shot earlier with the lens at 76mm for a more close-up view but with a wider horizontal coverage with more segments.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Prairie Field (July 7, 2022)
A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:45 pm MDT. Capella is the bright star due north down the north-south range road at right. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground. This is a crop from a 10-segment panorama with the RF24-105mm lens at 76mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. All 15-second exposures. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There is a version of this shot a little later but with the lens zoomed out to 43mm for a wider view vertically, but not as wide horizontally.
Noctilucent Clouds Close-Up Panorama (July 2-3, 2022)
A close-up panorama of a display of noctilucent clouds on the night of July 2-3, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. The bright sunlit NLCs in the high mesosphere contrast with the dark nearby and lower tropospheric clouds. This is looking north at about midnight local daylight time. This is a panorama of 4 segments, each 15 seconds at f/4 with the RF24-105mm lens at 80mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. There are wider versions of this same scene taken at shorter focal lengths to show the NLCs in context with the wider scene. This version shows the NLC's rippling wave-like structure.
Noctilucent Clouds Wide-Angle Panorama (July 2-3, 2022)
A wide-angle panorama of a display of noctilucent clouds on the night of July 2-3, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. The bright sunlit NLCs in the high mesosphere contrast with the dark nearby and lower tropospheric clouds. This is looking north at about midnight local daylight time. This is a panorama of 4 segments, each 15 seconds at f/4 with the RF24-105mm lens at 32mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. There are close-up versions of this same scene taken at longer focal lengths (65mm and 80mm) to show the NLC structure better. This versions shows the NLCs in context with the rest of the sky.
Noctilucent Clouds Wide Panorama (July 2-3, 2022)
A wide panorama of a display of noctilucent clouds on the night of July 2-3, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. The bright sunlit NLCs in the high mesosphere contrast with the dark nearby and lower tropospheric clouds. This is looking north at about midnight local daylight time. This is a panorama cropped from 8 segments, each 15 seconds at f/4 with the RF24-105mm lens at 65mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There are close-up (80mm lens) and wider-angle (35mm lens) versions of this same scene.
Dawn Twilight Panorama with Planets (June 26, 2022)
A panorama of the morning twilight on June 26, 2022, with the waning crescent Moon in conjunction with Venus low in the north-east and with Mars and Jupiter above. This shows the transition of colours across the spectrum in the dawn twilight. There is a faint wisp of noctilucent cloud at top above the star Capella. This illustrates the line of the ecliptic. And the "big sky" of a prairie dawn. This is a panorama cropped from 8 segments, each 0.8-seconds with the RF28-70mm lens at f/2.8, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Photoshop as Camera Raw oddly refused to stitch all the segments.
Conjunction of the Moon and Venus at Dawn with NLCs (June 26, 2022)
A wide-angle view of the conjunction of the waning crescent Moon with Venus low in the northeast dawn sky on June 26, 2022, taken from home in southern Alberta, latitude 51° N. Earthshine is visible on the dark side of the Moon. And above are some wispy noctilucent clouds, with the star Capella at left. The sky exhibits the wonderful transition of colours from the orange at the horizon through the spectrum to the blues at top. This is a single 0.8-second exposure with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8 on the Canon R5 at ISO 100.
The Planet Array at Dawn with Labels (June 26, 2022)
A 180° panorama of the array of the planets in the dawn twiliight on June 26, 2022, with the thin waning crescent Moon just above Venus low in the northeast at centre. At left is a display of wispy noctilucent clouds. The planets from left to right in their correct order out from the Sun are: Venus (low), Mars & Jupiter, and Saturn (at far right). The Pleiades is faintly visible in the twilight above the Venus-Moon pairing. The previous two mornings, when the Moon was between Venus and Mars in the correct order out from he Sun, was alas cloudy. This is a panorama of 11 segments, each 4 seconds at f/2.8 with the RF28-70mm lens at 37mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
The Array of Planets at Dawn on Summer Solstice (with Labels)
The array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on summer solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus at centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right of centre; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, a fading display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 10 segments, each 0.6-seconds, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 29,400 pixels wide.
The Array of Planets at Dawn on Summer Solstice
The array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on summer solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus at centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right of centre; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, a fading display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 10 segments, each 0.6-seconds, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 29,400 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Clouds Panorama (June 20, 2022)
A panorama of NLCs – noctilucent clouds – aka PMCs or polar mesospheric clouds, taken on June 20, 2022 about 11:40 pm MDT, from home in southern Alberta. After many cloudy nights and some clear nights with no NLCs, this was my first sighting since June 1. The bright luminous mesospheric clouds lit by sunlight at high altitude contrast with the dark tropospheric clouds to the left at low altitude. The bright star Capella in Auriga, low in the north and circumpolar from my latitude of 51° N, is left of centre. The stars of Perseus are at upper right. This is a panorama cropped from 9 segments of 5-second exposures, with the RF24-105mm lens at f/4 and 80mm, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Noctilucent Clouds Panorama (June 1, 2022)
A panorama of an early-season appearance of noctilucent clouds on the night of June 1-2, 2022. This is from home in southern Alberta, Canada at latitude 51° N, and taken at midnight, MDT. This was my earliest sighting of NLCs, three weeks before solstice. This is a panorama of 8 segments, each 25 seconds with the 24-105mm RF lens at 105mm, on the red-sensitive Canon Ra at ISO 1600. Stitched in ACR.
Noctilucent Clouds in Twilight (July 8, 2021)
A mix of noctilucent clouds with tropospheric clouds in the twilight over a ripening canola field, July 8, 2021. This is a single exposure with the Canon 15-35mm L series lens on the Canon R6 camera at ISO 100.
Circumpolar Star Trails with Noctilucent Clouds
An extensive display of noctilucent clouds blended with a star trail sequence of the circumpolar stars of the northern sky. This is a stack of thirty 30-second exposures taken at the end of a sequence of 450 shots, taken when the sky was darkest with the most stars visible, blended with a shorter exposure taken earlier in the night when the noctilucent clouds were more extensive across the twilight sky. So this is a "time-blend" of frames taken from a set shot for a time-lapse. All with the TTArtisan 11mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 and on the Canon R6.