Constellations - Various
Alpha and Beta Centauri, with Hutech-modified Canon 5D camera with 135mm f/2 Canon L lens at f/4 for 4 minutes each at ISO400. Stack of 4 exposures, averaged stacked. Taken from Queensland, Australia, June 2006. Glow added around stars in Photoshop.
Milky Way area from Altair to Albireo, including Sagitta and Delphinus, and Coathanger. Taken Sept. 12, 2007 for stack of 4 x 5 minute exposures with 35mm L-series lens at f/2.8 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400.
M31 Andromeda Galaxy in Andromeda showing arcs of stars used to locate M31 (whole constellation not shown). Taken with 165mm telephoto lens at f/3.5 with Pentax 6x7 camera and Ektachrome E200 film and 18 minute exposure. Image cropped to closer to 35mm 2:3 format because of light leaks at edge of film frame. Taken from home October 2003. Glow layer added in Photoshop to add glows around stars. Mask applied to reduce vignetting from lens.
Andromeda in a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 50mm Sigma lens at f/3.2. Plus two exposures taken thru the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Takes in the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, at upper centre, plus Triangulum Galaxy, M33, below centre, and NGC 752 star cluster (left of centre), and M34 cluster at left edge. The small constellation of Triangulum is bottom left. Taken from home Oct 5, 2013.
Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus and an Aurora
A weak aurora on July 15, 2017m below the stars of Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda, with the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, at upper right. The Double Cluster in Perseus is above centre. Capella is below the faint lone spire of auroral curtain. A single 25-second exposure at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.
Andromeda Galaxy Over Moonlit Hoodoos
The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) and the stars of Andromeda rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. This is an example of a "deepscape" - a nightcape with a telephoto lens to also record a deep-sky object in the frame above the horizon. However, moonlight prevents the galaxy from showing up as well as it would in a dark sky. The sedimentary formations here are from the late Cretaceous, about 70 million years old, while the light from the Andromeda Galaxy is about 2.5 million years old, though the galaxy itself is much older — billions of years old, older than the Earth and Sun. The scene provides a nice contrast of warm earth and cool sky tones. Taken July 8, 2022, this is a blend of tracked (for the sky) and untracked (for the ground) exposures — a stack of 2 for the ground and 5 for the sky, all 1 minute at f/4 and ISO 400 with the RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and Canon R5. The blend of sky exposures blurred the moving clouds framing the galaxy. I added a mild Pro Contrast effect filter to the ground with Nik Collection 5, and added sharpening to the ground with Topaz Sharpen AI. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini.
Andromeda over Mt. Andromeda #2
The autumn constellations of Perseus (left), Andromeda (centre) and Pegasus (right) over the peaks of the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park, including at right Mt. Andromeda named for the mythological princess. Taken on Sept 14, 2014 on a very clear night before moonrise. The waning quarter Moon is rising in the southeast at left. The foreground illumination of the moraines from Athabasca Glacier is from moonlight. The Andromeda Galaxy is at top centre. This is a composite of 5 shots, tracked, for the sky, blended in Lighten mode and 5 shots, untracked, for the ground, blended in Mean combine mode to reduce noise. The trailed sky is masked out of the ground shots and the trailed ground is masked out of the sky shots, so both ground and sky are sharp but the sky has the benefit of the longer exposures required to really bring out Milky Way details. Each shot was 75 seconds, all at f/2.8 with the 15mm lens and Canon 6D at ISO 1250. Tracked on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer, with the drive turned off for the ground images at the end of the sky exposures. Taken from the lower parking lot area just up the Forefield Trail visible at the bottom.
Andromeda over Mt. Andromeda (Sept 6, 2014)
The constellation of Andromeda (the arc of stars at left) and associated autumn constellations over Mt. Andromeda (at right) at the Columbia Icefelds in Jasper National Park, Alberta. The waxing gibbous Moon is over Mt. Andromeda at right. Cassiopeia is at upper left, the Pleiades are rising at lower left. Pegasus is at centre; Perseus is at far left. Altair is at upper right. The Moon adds some lens flares. This is an HDR stack of 3 exposures at 1-stop intervals (5s, 10s and 20s) with the Canon 15mm full-frame fish-eye lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D at ISO 800. Shot from the lower parking lot at Athabasca Glacier.
Andromeda Rising at Dinosaur Park
The constellation of Andromeda with the famous Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) rising on an early summer night at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. This was June 30, 2022. The Square of Pegasus is at right. Several star clusters are at left: the Double Cluster at upper left, M34 below it, and NGC 752 to the right of M34. To the right of NGC 752 is the fuzzy patch of Messier 33, the Triangulum Galaxy. The main three stars of Triangulum are just rising above the hill at left. Green airglow tints the sky, as well as blue from the perpetual twilight at this time of year and latitude of 50° N. This is a blend of tracked exposures for the sky and untracked for the ground: all 2 minutes at f/2 with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and Canon R5 at ISO 800. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini. As the camera was aimed east to the rising sky, I took the static untracked shots first, followed by the tracked shots, so the ground would better cover the blurry horizon in the tracked shots -- i.e. the static horizon would be higher in the frame requiring less manual moving to cover the blurry horizon. LENR employed on all shots on this mild night. NoiseXTerminator applied to the sky.
Andromeda Rising at McGregor Lake
The constellation of Andromeda with its namesake galaxy at centre rising over McGregor Lake in southern Alberta on June 29, 2019, with solstice twilight brightening the sky to the north at left. Cassiopeia is at top left, with Perseus below. Pegasus is at right. This is a stack of 4 x 1-minute exposures for the ground, untracked, and a single 1-minute tracked exposure for the sky. The tracker mistracked for a couple of exposures spoiling the registration, so I used just one image for the sky. All were at ISO 800 with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm lens at f/2.2.
Andromeda Rising Over Moonlit Hoodoos
The constellation of Andromeda, with Cassiopeia at upper left, and Pegasus at right, rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. The faint (in the moonlit sky) fuzzy patch of the Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, is visible at centre. The scene provides a nice contrast of warm earth and cool sky tones. Taken July 8, 2022, this is a blend of tracked (for the sky) and untracked (for the ground) exposures — a stack of 3 for the ground and 2 for the sky, all 1 minute at f/4 and ISO 400 with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and Canon R5. A mild Pro Contrast effect filter added to the ground with Nik Collection 5 and a mild Orton glow added to the sky with Luminar AI. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini. The mosquitoes enjoyed my presence here this warm July night!
The watery constellations of Aquarius (occupying the majority of the frame) and Piscis Austrinus, at bottom right, marked by the bright star Fomalhaut. Part of Capricornus is at far right. The southern circlet of Pisces is at upper left, so the frame contains bits of many of the watery constellations of the southern sky. The Y-shaped “Steering Wheel” asterism in Aquarius is at top of the frame. The Zodiacal Light brightens the sky across the top along the ecliptic, as these constellations were in the southwest evening sky setting when I took this shot. This is a stack of 2 x 2-minute exposures with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.5 and Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 1600. Taken from Quailway Cottage in southeast Arizona.
Aquila with S-O Double Cluster at right, taken from home Sept.12, 2007 for stack of 4 x 4 minute exposures with 35mm L-series lens at f/2.8 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400. Glow layer added to emphasize stars.
Aquila, taken from home Sept. 12, 2007 for stack of 4 x 4 minute exposures with 35mm L-series lens at f/2.8 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400. Glow layer added to emphasize stars.
Aquila (50mm 5DII) Sept 29, 2013
Aquila in a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 50mm Sigma lens at f/3.2. Plus two exposures taken thru the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Includes the Serpens-Ophiuchus double cluster (SO Double Cluster) of IC 4756 and NGC 663 at right. Altair and Terazed are at top. Taken from home Sept, 29, 2013.
Aquila, Serpens and Ophiuchus in the Summer Sky
The constellation of Aquila (at centre) surrounded by Scutum and its starcloud (below) and Serpens and Ophiuchus (at right to the west). Altair is the bright star left of centre, with Tarazed above it. Albireo in Cygnus is at the very top Above Aquila and below Albireo are the small constellations of Sagitta, Vulpecula and Delphinus (the latter at left). The Coathanger asterism is visible at top in the Milky Way, as are the large open clusters IC 4756 and NGC 6633, the S-O Double Cluster, at right straddling the Serpens-Ophiuchus border. Taken August 20, 2019 during the brief interval of darkness before moonrise at 11 pm this night. This is a stack of 7 x 2-minute exposures with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 1600, with an additional exposure taken through the Kenko Softon A filter layered in to add the star glows. On the Star Adventurer tracker from home.
Taken from Sask Summer Star Party in Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan, Aug 6, 2005. Taken with Pentax 6x7 camera with 90 lens at f/3.5, for 36 minute exposure on Ektachrome E200 slide film, 120-format. Tracked but not guided. Aurelon anti-vignetting and Noise Ninja applied.
The constellation of Aquila the Eagle with the small constellation of Scutum the Shield below, with its bright starcloud, in the northern summer sky, with parts of Serpens and Ophiuchus at right. The Serpens-Ophiuchus Double Cluster is at right, made of NGC 6633 (right) and IC 4756 (left). Altair is the bright star at left. This is a stack of 4 x 1-minute exposures with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D at ISO 1600, plus an additional 1 min exposure through the Kenko Softon filter to add the star glows. All tracked on the MSM SiFo Tracker from China. Taken from home July 24, 2019.
Arcturus, Spica and Mars (May 2014)
A swath of the northern spring sky from Bootes and Arcturus at top, down to Spica in Virgo at centre with red Mars to the right (west) of Spica. Below in the quadrilateral figure of Corvus. At upper right is the Coma Berenices open star cluster. I shot this from the Four Bar Cottages near Portal, Arizona, May 3, 2014. This is a stack of 4 x 2m15s exposures with the 24mm lens at f/2.8 and the Canon 6D at ISO 800 in moonlight from the crescent Moon. Additional exposures through the Kenko Softon filter added the star glows. Camera was on the iOptron SkyTracker.
Mars, Saturn, Spica and Arcturus (May 2014)
Mars (upper right of centre), Saturn (lower left) and the stars Spica (below reddish Mars) and Arcturus (upper left) in the spring sky, May 3, 2014. I shot this May 3, 2014 from the Four Bar Cottages near Portal Arizona using the Canon 6D and 24mm lens for a stack of 4 x 2m15s exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 800 in moonlight from a waxing crescent Moon.
The Big Dipper and Arcturus at Cypress Hills
The Big Dipper and Arcturus over a treed nightscape in the Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan. Taken during the annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party in late August 2022. The Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is a Dark Sky Preserve. This is a blend of a single 30-second untracked exposure for the sky and a stack of four 30-second exppsures for the ground, all with the RF15-35mm lens at 19mm and f/2.8 and Canon R5 at ISO 3200. NoiseXTerminator used to reduce noise in the sky, ON1 NoNoise AI applied to the ground. and a glow effect added with Luminar AI.
Aries & Triangulum (50mm 5DII)
Aries (below) and Triangulum (above) in a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 50mm Sigma lens at f/3.2. Plus two exposures taken thru the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Takes in the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, above centre, and NGC 752 star cluster (upper left). The small galaxy NGC 772 is just visible right of centre as a tiny non-stellar spot. Taken from home Oct 5, 2013.
The Constellation of Aries the Ram
The main part of the small constellation of Aries the Ram in the autumn sky. The bright star at left is Hamal, Alpha Arietis. The blue star at lower right is Mesarthim or Gamma Arietis, a popular double star. The field is similar to what a pair of large binoculars would show. I shot this from home Nov. 25, 2019. This is a stack of 3 x 2-minute unguided exposures with the 200mm Canon telephoto at f/2.8 and stock Canon 6D MkII at ISO 1600. An additional exposure taken through the Kenko Softon A filter adds the star glows. All were with the camera on the Fornax LighTrack II tracker.
The small northern autumn constellations of Aries the ram (bottom right) and Triangulum (top left), with the galaxy M33 also in frame at top. The bright yellow star at bottom is Hamal. This is a stack of 2 x 2-minute exposures with the 85mm Rokinon lens at f/2 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, plus an additonal exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows.