A 360° panorama of the observing field at the 2019 Saskatchewan Summer Star Party in the Centre Block of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Saskatchewan, a Dark Sky Preserve. This was August 31, 2019 on a less than ideal night with thin cloud about, while an aurora brightening with a Kp5 level display colours the sky at right to the northeast. The Milky Way is at left to the south. The Big Dipper in haze is right of centre. This is an 11-segment panorama, each 30 seconds at f/2 with the Sigma 24mm lens and Nikon D750 in landscape orientation and at ISO 6400. Stitched with PTGui. ACR worked but did not allow framing the scene as desired.
A 180° panorama of the spring sky and constellations rising in the east over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta on March 29, 2019. The Big Dipper is at top with its handle pointing down to Arcturus and Spica (just rising above the horizon). Leo is at right of centre, flanked by the Beehive and Coma Berenices star clusters. Polaris is at left — however, the distortion introduced by the panorama stitching at high altitudes here stretches out the sky at top and means that the Dipper’s Pointer stars do not point in a straight line to Polaris. The faint Zodiacal Band is visible at right, brightening toward the horizon in the Gegenschein. This is a stitch of 6 segments, each with the 14mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750 in portrait mode, each 30 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 4000. Stitched with PTGui. I added a mild Orton glow effect with Luminar.
Spring Sky (northern hemisphere) rising in east, late March 2004. Big Dipper and Arcturus visible above house and Leo with Jupiter in it at right. Pentax 6x7 camera with 120 format Fuji 100F slide film, 35mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/4.5,16 minute exposure, tracked so ground is trailed. Light from waxing crescent Moon in west provides blue sky light.
