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.

Aurora from Home (Sept 25, 2020)

A display of Northern Lights to the northeast, the first in many weeks for us in a Kp4 level display. The Big and Little Dippers are at left to the north. Capella is the bright star at right. Moonlight from the low gibbous Moon off frame to the southeast provides the illumination. Taken from home, Sept 25-26, 2020. This is a stack of 4 exposures for the ground to smooth noise, and one for the sky, all 10 seconds at f/2 and ISO 1600 with the Sigma Art 14mm lens and Nikon D750.

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.

Selfie Observing Comet NEOWISE (July 15, 2020)

A selfie observing Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) with binoculars on the dark moonless night of July 14/15, 2020 from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. A faint aurora colours the sky green and magenta. The faint blue ion tail of the comet is visible in addition to its brighter dust tail. The ground is illuminated by starlight and aurora light only. This is a blend of 6 exposures stacked for the ground (except me) to smooth noise, and one exposure for the sky and me, all 13 seconds at f/2.5 with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 6400. Topazs DeNoise AI applied.

Comet NEOWISE Over Dinosaur Park (July 15, 2020)

This is Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over the badlands and formations of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on the night of July 14-15, 2020, at about 12:30 am local time with it nearly due north and as low as it got for the night at this latitude of 51° N. A green and magenta aurora colours the northern sky also blue with perpetual summer twilight. Capella is at far right. The comet’s dim blue ion tail is visible here extending some 18° to the top of the frame; the whitish curving dust tail extends about 12° though it becomes lost in the sky still bright with twilight and the aurora this night. This is a classic comet! Very much the dimmer twin of Comet Hale-Bopp from April 1997. This is a blend of 6 exposures for the ground stacked to smooth noise, with a single exposure for the sky, with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII. The ground exposures are 1- and 2-minutes at ISO 1600 and f/2.8, while the single untracked sky exposure was 20 seconds at ISO 3200 and f/2.5. There was no Moon, thus the need to take very long exposures for the ground to reveal details in the landscape here illuminated by just starlight and the faint aurora that was to the north and that was barely visible to the eye. Otherwise the ground would have been a featureless silhouette. So, yes, this image shows much more than the eye could see unaided due to the long exposures, but that’s the point and attraction of astrophotography — to record celestial objects and scenes with more detail than the eye can see. Indeed, any exposure longer than a second is bound to show more than the eye can detect. However, in binoculars the ion tail was barely visible, helped by knowing it was there. But the dust tail could be see to this extent, but in binoculars! However, the comet was still a fine sight naked eye, with an obvious tail about 5° to 6° long to the eye, despite the bright midnight sky. LENR employed in camera on all shots this warm night to remove thermal speckling and colour casts the 6D MkII is prone to. Stacked and masked with Photoshop. Topaz DeNoise AI applied to the sky; Topaz Sharpen applied to the ground, plus a mild touch of ON1 Photo RAW Dynamic Contrast.

Comet over Hoodoos at Dinosaur Park (July 14, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over some of the eroded hoodoo formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, July 14-15, 2020. A faint aurora is at right. The foreground is lit by starlight only; there was no light painting employed here. This is a stack of 12 exposures for the ground to smooth noise, blended with a single untracked exposure of the sky, all at 20 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, all with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII camera. Taking lots of shots and stacking them allowed the foreground to be brightened without introducing too much noise and ugly banding artifacts the non-ISO invariant sensor of the 6D MKII is prone to. An alternative would have been to take a single very long (multi-minute) exposure at a lower ISO just for the ground, but even then stacking several would still be best. LENR employed on all shots on this warm night to eliminate thermal noise and speckling. ON1 Dynamic Contrast filter applied to the ground. Plus some dodging and burning applied to the ground using a neutral grey layer on Overlay blend mode to better sculpt the otherwise flatly lit foreground on this dark, moonless night. The sky is lit by twilight that is perpetual in summer at this latitude of 51° N.

Comet over Hoodoos at Dinosaur Park in Twilight (July 14, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over some of the eroded hoodoo formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, July 14-15, 2020. Twilight colours the sky. In this case the foreground is mildly light painted with a warm LED light. This was from the Trail of the Fossil Hunters site. This is a stack of 6 exposures for the ground (2- and 5-minute exposures at ISO 400 and f/8 for depth of field) to smooth noise, blended with a single 20-second untracked exposure of the sky at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, all with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII camera. Some of the long exposures I light painted. LENR employed on all shots on this warm night to eliminate thermal noise and speckling. ON1 Dynamic Contrast filter applied to the ground. Plus some dodging and burning applied to the ground using a neutral grey layer on Overlay blend mode to better sculpt the foreground, despite the light painting. The sky is lit by twilight that is perpetual in summer at this latitude of 51° N.

Comet NEOWISE and Aurora over Waterton River (July 13-14, 2020)

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) with the Northern Lights over the Waterton River at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, on July 13-14, 2020. This was from the Maskinonge picnic area. This is a blend of a stack of nine exposures for the ground and water to smooth noise, blended with a single short exposure for the sky, all 25 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 800, with the 35mm Canon lens and Canon 6D MkII camera. LENR employed on all shots to reduce thermal noise this warm summer night.

Comet NEOWISE and Aurora Panorama (July 13, 2020)

Another amazing sky scene — A panorama of the late night sky just before midnight on July 13, 2020 from Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada with Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) over the front range of the Rocky Mountains and an arc of aurora across the north. Earlier, noctilucent clouds were also visible. Quite the show! This was taken from the Bison Compound access road. This is an 6-segment panorama with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.2 for 25 seconds each at ISO 800 with the Canon 6D MkII and stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.

Aurora over Pond at Home (May 29-30, 2020)

The Northern Lights display on the night of May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta, with a green homogenous arc and a lone pink ray. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. Perseus is at centre; Cassiopeia at top; Andromeda is rising at right A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

Selfie Watching the Northern Lights v3

A selfie with me looking at the Northern Lights display on the night of May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

May I Present the Northern Lights!

A selfie with me pointing out the Northern Lights display on the night ogf May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

Selfie Watching the Northern Lights v2

A selfie with me looking at the Northern Lights display on the night of May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

Selfie Watching the Northern Lights v1

A selfie with me looking at the Northern Lights display on the night of May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

Aurora with Pink Ray (May 29-30, 2020)

The Northern Lights display on the night of May 29-30, 2020 from home in Alberta, with a green homogenous arc and a lone pink ray. This was a modest Kp3 - 4 display but even that low-level display has been rare lately. Illumination is from the waxing quarter Moon behind the camera. Cassiopeia is at left. A single shot with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.

Aurora at Home Panorama with Milky Way (May 29, 2020)

A 300° panorama of the sky on the night of May 29/30, 2020 with a modest aurora display underway across the north at centre. To the south at right is the summer Milky Way with bright Jupiter rising east of the Milky Way and Antares and Scorpius to the west of the Milky Way. To the west at left over my house is the waxing quarter Moon setting. Cassiopeia and Perseus are at centre. This is a panorama of 11 segments, each 20 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens and Nikon D750. Stitched with PTGui.

Aurora at Home Panorama (May 29, 2020)

A 180° panorama of the sky on the night of May 29/30, 2020 with a modest aurora display underway across the north at centre. To the west at left over my house is the waxing quarter Moon setting. Cassiopeia, Perseus and Andromeda are at centre rising in the northeast/ This is a panorama of 7 segments, each 20 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens and Nikon D750. Stitched with PTGui.

Watching the Equinox Aurora (March 20, 2020)

A selfie of me watching the aurora on March 20/21, 2020 from my rural backyard. This was the spring equinox and auroras often park in activity around the equinoxes. This was the first display seen locally for some time though the Kp Index was low, no more than 2 or 3. This was about 12:30 am MDT. The night before I had been shooting aurora selfies from Churchill, Manitoba. I had just got home from the evening flight from Winnipeg and unpacked the camera to shoot this. Cassiopeia is at left, Vega is the bright star at right. This is a single 15-second exposure with the Sony a7III at ISO 1600 and Venus Optics 15mm at f/2.

Aurora in Clouds Panorama from Home

A panorama of the Kp5 level aurora seen October 24-25, 2019 from home in a panorama across the north. The aurora always appeared as a diffuse glow and arc without much structure or motion this night, though the patchy clouds didn’t help! But it shows how a bright aurora can shine through the clouds. And this illustrates the difference between the aurora borealis and “aurora commercialis!” — the urban sky glows. The light pollution from Calgary and Strathmore to the west light the sky yellow at left. Orion and the winter stars are rising at right. Polaris is left of centre at top. Deneb and Vega are in the northwest at left. This is a 6-segment panorama with the 15mm Venus Optics lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 1600 for 20 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.

Aurora Panorama from Grasslands (Aug 26, 2019)

A panorama of the arc of Northern Lights seen August 26, 2019 about 11:30 p.m. CST from Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, from the Two Trees Road. This is looking northeast. The Big Dipper is at far left. Capella is the bright star above the arc, while Perseus is at upper right. The Pleiades are rising at right, above the silhouette of 70 Mile Butte. This was a diffuse grey arc to the eye but the camera picks up the green and red colours from the oxygen emission lines. This is a 5-segment panorama with the 24mm Sigma Art lens at f/2 and Nikon D750 at ISO 3200 for 20 seconds each. Stitched with Photoshop.

All-Sky Aurora (August 4/5, 2019)

The auroral display of Aug 4/5, 2019, here later at night at 3:30 am now pulsing to the south and bright to the north in this view looking east. At this stage the aurora was in a post-storm pulsing formation, rapidly flickering to the south and overhead, with a bright but diffuse curtain to the north. This is with the 15mm Venus Optics lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400 for 5 seconds.

Auroral Arc Panorama (Aug 4, 2019)

The arc of the auroral oval across my northern sky from home in southern Alberta on August 4/5, 2019 during a Kp 5 level display at times this night. Later this night the aurora did expand to fill much of the sky. The Big Dipper is to the left, Polaris is at top, and Perseus is to the right. Capella is the bright star amid the aurora. The Pleiades are just rising at far right. The Andromeda Galaxy is at upper right. This is a 3-segment panorama with the 15mm Venus Optics lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 3200 for 20 seconds each. Stitched with ACR.

NLCs and Northern Lights (July 8, 2019)

A bright display of noctilucent clouds at about midnight and due north on July 8/9, 2019, in the solstice twilight, with a display of aurora borealis shining through the clouds at left, and forming the classic arc over to the northeast at right, toward the magnetic pole at my location in southern Alberta. Capella is in the band of aurora. This is a panorama of 6 segments with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/1.8 and Sony a7III at ISO 400 for 6 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.

Noctilucent Clouds and Northern Lights

A display of noctilucent clouds and northern lights together in the same sky to the north, along with summer twilight on July 8/9, 2019. This is a single exposure with the 50mm Sigma lens and Sony a 7III for 8 seconds at f/1.6 and ISO 400.