Milky Way over the Hoodoos

The summer Milky Way in Cygnus, with the Summer Triangle stars rising over the Hoodoos formations on Highway 10 near Drumheller, Alberta. A low-level aurora display tints the sky magenta and blue at left, making for an unusually colourful sky. The bright stars are: Vega is at top, Deneb at centre and Altair at bottom right. This is a blend of a tracked 2-minute exposure for the sky at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, with a stack of 3 untracked 8-minute exposures for the ground at f/5.6 and ISO 800, all with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and the red-sensitive Canon Ra. Some of the foreground illumination comes from a single distant sodium vapour light, thus the blue shadows. No light painting was used here. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini.

Twilight Panorama over the Red Deer River

A panorama of the Badlands and evening twilight sky over the curve of the Red Deer River, Alberta, from the Orkney Viewpoint on the west side of the river, overlooking the formations of the Horsethief Canyon area to the east. This was May 21, 2022. The pink Belt of Venus is obvious at right above the dark blue band at the horizon of Earth's shadow rising, making for some wonderful colours in the sky contrasting with the earth tones below. This is a panorama of 9 segments, with the RF28-70mm lens at f/5.6 and Canon R5 at ISO 100, for 1/10-second exposures for each segment. Stitched with Photoshop Photomerge as ACR did not want to stitch these segments at all. The original is 21,400 pixels wide.

Lunar Eclipse (May 15, 2022) — Near Totality

The eclipsed Full Moon rising over Reesor Lake in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta, on May 15, 2022. This was just before totality, with just a thin sliver of the Moon stlll illuminated by direct sunlight. From my location and longitude, the Moon rose in the late stages of the initial partial eclipse, but with the portion of the Moon's disk in the umbra glowing a dim red and just visible in the blue twilight sky. Shortly after this image, as totality began with the Moon entirely in the umbra, the Moon had moved up into the increasing clouds at top that were moving eastward, and obscured the Moon for the rest of totality. But for a while at moonrise the band of sky with the Moon low in the southeast was clear. It was a narrow band of photo opportunity, but at the right time for foreground lighting in the still bright twilight. This was from the west end of Reesor Lake near the Saskatchewan border. The lake is home in spring and summer to lots of white American pelicans seen dotting the lake here. It is named for the Reesor family who now in their fifth generation still ranch just up the road from here north of the Park. This is a single image with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 124mm and f/4 and 0.3 seconds at ISO 200 with the red-sensitive Canon Ra camera. Location planning done with the aid of The Photographer's Ephemeris and TPE3D. However, this was a favourite spot that I had shot from several times before, but never a lunar eclipse! I chased here to avoid the worst of the clouds incoming from the west. Cloud cover matched predictions precisely this night.

Lunar Eclipse (May 15, 2022) — Deep Partial

The eclipsed Full Moon rising over Reesor Lake in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta, on May 15, 2022. This was in the last stages of the partial eclipse, with a portion of the Moon's disk stlll illuminated by direct sunlight, but the rest in the red umbral shadow. From my location and longitude, the Moon rose in the late stages of the initial partial eclipse, but with the portion of the Moon's disk in the umbra glowing a dim red and just visible in the blue twilight sky. Later, as totality began with the Moon entirely in the umbra, the Moon had moved up into the increasing clouds at top that were moving eastward, and obscured the Moon for the rest of totality. But for a while at moonrise the band of sky with the Moon low in the southeast was clear. It was a narrow band of photo opportunity, but at the right time for foreground lighting in the still bright twilight. This was from the west end of Reesor Lake near the Saskatchewan border. The lake is home in spring and summer to lots of white American pelicans seen dotting the lake here. It is named for the Reesor family who now in their fifth generation still ranch just up the road from here north of the Park. This is a single image with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 135mm and f/4 and 0.6 seconds at ISO 100 with the red-sensitive Canon Ra camera. Location planning done with the aid of The Photographer's Ephemeris and TPE3D. However, this was a favourite spot that I had shot from several times before, but never a lunar eclipse! I chased here to avoid the worst of the clouds incoming from the west. Cloud cover matched predictions precisely this night.

Lunar Eclipse Panorama at Reesor Lake

A panorama of the eclipsed Full Moon rising over Reesor Lake in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta, on May 15, 2022. This was the much-publicized "Super Flower Blood Moon" eclipse. From my location and longitude, the Moon rose in the late stages of the initial partial eclipse shown here, but with the portion of the Moon's disk in the umbra glowing a dim red and just visible in the blue twilight sky. Shortly after this, as totality began with the Moon entirely in the umbra, the Moon had moved up into the increasing clouds at top that were moving eastward, and obscured the Moon for the rest of totality. But for a while at moonrise the band of sky with the Moon low in the southeast was clear. It was a narrow band of photo opportunity, but at the right time for foreground lighting in the still bright twilight. This was from the west end of Reesor Lake near the Saskatchewan border. The lake is home in spring and summer to lots of white American pelicans seen dotting the lake here. It is named for the Reesor family who now in their fifth generation still ranch just up the road from here north of the Park. This is a stitch of three segments with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 86mm and f/5 and 0.8 seconds at ISO 100 with the red-sensitive Canon Ra camera. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw with most processing in ACR with sky and ground masks. Location planning done with the aid of The Photographer's Ephemeris and TPE3D. However, this was a favourite spot that I had shot from several times before, but never a lunar eclipse! I chased here to avoid the worst of the clouds incoming from the west. Cloud cover matched predictions precisely this night.

Rising Moon at Equinox (March 18, 2022)

The nearly Full Moon rising on March 18 near the date of the March equinox (March 20 this year) , so it rose nearly due east this night. This March Moon is also popularly called the Worm Moon. The Moon was a day past Full this night, and clouds hid the Moon at moonrise. By the time it appeared from behind the cloud bank it was a little south of due east and the east-west prairie road. This is a 7-exposure blend to retain detail in the lunar disk while bringing out the ground. Exposures ranged from 1/10 second to 25 seconds, all with the RF70-200mm lens at f/8 and Canon Ra at ISO 400. Blended with ADP Pro luminosity masking panel. Taken from near home in southern Alberta.

Venus in Twilight Panorama (December 20, 2021)

Venus as an "evening star" in the deepening twilight of solstice eve on December 20, 2021. This is a 2-section panorama to show off the sweep of the horizon colours. Diffraction spikes added for artistic effect with AstronomyTools actions.

Venus in Twilight (December 20, 2021)

Venus as an "evening star" in the deepening twilight of solstice eve on December 20, 2021. This is a single image with the Canon 28-70mm RF lens and Canon Ra. Diffraction spikes added for photogenic effect with AstronomyTools actions.

The Rising Cold Winter Moon

The rising nearly Full Moon of December 19, 2021, above a snowy prairie scene with a lone tree, and with the cold blue twilight lighting the snow, contrasting with the pink of the Belt of Venus above. This is a two-exposure blend: a 0.5-second image for all, except for a 1/8-second exposure for the Moon itself to preserve the colour of the lunar disk. Blended with BlendIf in Photoshop. Exposures taken moments apart with the 24-105mm RF lens at 105mm and f/8 and Canon Ra at ISO 100.

Cold Winter Moonrise and Lone Tree

The rising nearly Full Moon of December 19, 2021, above a snowy prairie scene with a lone tree, and the cold blue twilight lighting the snow, contrasting with the pink of the Belt of Venus above. The Moon is partly in a narrow band of cloud and is exhibiting a slight green flash phenomenon on its distorted upper edge, and red limb on its lower edge from atmospheric dispersion. This is a single 0.3-second exposure with the 24-105mm RF lens at 105mm and f/8 and red-sensitive Canon Ra at ISO 100.

Three-Planet Line-Up in Evening Twilight v2 (Dec 17, 2021)

The line-up of three evening planets in the southwest twilight sky, on December 17, 2021 — with Jupiter at top left, Venus at bottom right, and dimmer Saturn in the middle, all defining the line of the ecliptic in the cold winter sky this night. The stars of Capricornus are at centre. The foreground is lit by moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon in the northeast, opposite this scene which looks southwest. A single 8s exposure with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 39mm, and Canon Ra at ISO 200. Shot in hope of also catching Comet Leonard below Venus but no luck! It was too faint and lost in the wispy clouds. V1 of this image was shot 10 minutes earlier with brighter twilight colors but fewer stars and a darker foreground. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions.

Three-Planet Line-Up in Evening Twilight v1 (Dec 17, 2021)

The line-up of three evening planets in the southwest twilight sky, on December 17, 2021 — with Jupiter at top left, Venus at bottom right, and dimmer Saturn in the middle, all defining the line of the ecliptic in the cold winter sky this night. The stars of Capricornus are at centre. A single 6s exposure with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 39mm, and Canon Ra at ISO 100. V2 of this image was shot 10 minutes later with less intense twilight colors but more stars in a darker sky and with a brighter moonlit foreground.

The Moon and Three Planets Over Bow River with Lines and Labels

This is the line-up of planets across the southwestern sky on December 6, 2021, consisting of (L to R): Jupiter, Saturn and Venus, with the 2.5-day-old waxing crescent Moon in conjunction below Venus. The Moon had eclipsed the Sun two days before on December 4, when it was on the ecliptic. Two days later it was below the ecliptic line. Jupiter and Saturn are in Capricornus, with its stars all visible here in the evening twilight. The three planets are nicely equally spaced. Such an array makes the ecliptic line visible. The location is overlooking the Bow River, on the Buffalo Rock Road on the Siksika Nation near Blackfoot Crossing, Alberta. This is a blend of 4 exposures: 8s, 4s, 2s and 1s to retain details and colours in the brightest part of the twilight sky at right and on the Moon's disk lit with Earthshine. All were at f/2.8 and ISO 400 with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 33mm and red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra. Taken in "blue hour." I added a mild Orton glow with Luminar AI. The 4 images were masked initially with ADP Pro but I then painted the masked manually to eliminate most of the sky from the shorter exposures leaving just the brightest part of the sunset glow without stars, so avoid multiple star images from the untracked camera. This is the version with lines and labels added in to mark the ecliptic and constellation pattern. There is a version without the overlays.

The Moon and Three Planets Over Bow River

This is the line-up of planets across the southwestern sky on December 6, 2021, consisting of (L to R): Jupiter, Saturn and Venus, with the 2.5-day-old waxing crescent Moon in conjunction below Venus. The Moon had eclipsed the Sun two days before on December 4, when it was on the ecliptic. Two days later it was below the ecliptic line. Jupiter and Saturn are in Capricornus, with its stars all visible here in the evening twilight. The three planets are nicely equally spaced. Such an array makes the ecliptic line visible. The location is overlooking the Bow River, on the Buffalo Rock Road on the Siksika Nation near Blackfoot Crossing, Alberta. This is a blend of 4 exposures: 8s, 4s, 2s and 1s to retain details and colours in the brightest part of the twilight sky at right and on the Moon's disk lit with Earthshine. All were at f/2.8 and ISO 400 with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 33mm and red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra. Taken in "blue hour." I added a mild Orton glow with Luminar AI. The 4 images were masked initially with ADP Pro but I then painted the masked manually to eliminate most of the sky from the shorter exposures leaving just the brightest part of the sunset glow without stars, so avoid multiple star images from the untracked camera. There is a version with lines and labels added in to mark the ecliptic and constellation pattern.

The Last of the Summer Milky Way

A nightscape scene of the summer Milky Way setting over the Elbow River in the Kananaskis Country in southern Alberta, on a superb autumn evening, with the rising waning Moon lighting the forground and autumn trees. This is a blend of a stack of three 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 for the ground with a single 2-minute tracked exposure at ISO 1600 for the sky, all with the 15-35mm RF lens at 15mm and at f/2.8 on the Canon Ra camera. Luminosity masks and dodge & burn layers applied with TK8 Actions. ON1 No Noise AI applied to the sky. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar AI. Taken September 26, 2021 and timed to catch the light from the rising waning Moon on the landscape. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini. This serves as a good example of blending tracked and untracked images when there are trees in the foreground. It's a masking challenge!

The Milky Way at Elbow Falls

A nightscape scene of the summer Milky Way over the Elbow River and Elbow Falls in the Kananaskis Country in southern Alberta, on a superb autumn evening, with the rising waning Moon beginning to light the hills. Illumination is from starlight and moonlight. This is a blend of a single long 6-minute exposure at ISO 800 for the ground with a single short 30-second untracked exposure at ISO 6400 for the sky, all with the 15-35mm RF lens at 15mm and at f/2.8 on the Canon Ra camera. Luminosity masks and dodge & burn layers applied with TK8 Actions. ON1 No Noise AI applied to the sky. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar AI. Taken September 26, 2021.

Harvest Moonrise at Dinosaur Park

A telescopic close-up of the full Harvest Moon rising over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park on September 20, 2021. This is a single 0.8-second exposure taken as part of a time-lapse sequence, shot through a 76mm f/4.4 refractor telescope for an effective focal length of 335mm using the Canon R6 at ISO 100. Luminosity masks created with TKActions v8 applied to enhance the contrast of the foreground. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI.

Harvest Moonrise over the Badlands

The Harvest Full Moon rising over the Badlands landscape of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on September 20, 2021. This is a single 1.6-second exposure for the sky and ground, blended with a shorter exposure for the Moon's disk to present the view more as the eye saw it. Taken with the Canon EOS Ra and 24-105mm RF zoom at 80mm. Dodging and burning with TKActions and a mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI.

Jupiter and Saturn over Hoodoos

Jupiter (bright at left) and Saturn (dimmer at centre) over hoodoo formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, August 29/30, 2021, with the foreground illuminated by moonlight from the rising last quarter Moon. The planets are in or near the constellation of Capricornus framed at centre. This is a blend of two images: a single tracked 1-minute exposure for the sky at f/2.8 and ISO 800 plus a single untracked 3-minute exposure for the ground at f/4 and ISO 800, both with the Canon 15-35mm RF lens at 29mm and Canon R6 camera on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. I added a mild Orton effect with Luminar AI. Long Exposure Noise Reduction applied to the ground image in camera.

Waning Moonrise at Dinosaur Park

The waning last quarter Moon rising at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on August 29, 2021. Capella is at left, Perseus is at top left, and the Andromeda Galaxy is at top. The Pleiades are just above the Moon, then in Taurus. This is a blend of a stack of 2 x 4-minute untracked exposures for the ground with a single tracked 2-minute exposure for the sky, all at ISO 800 with the Canon R6, and the Canon RF 15-35mm lens at 15mm and f/2.8. The camera was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. A mild Orton glow effect added with Luminar AI.

Summer Stars at Fossil Hunters Trail

The summer Milky Way in the southwest with the planets Jupiter (brightest) and Saturn (centre) to the east, over the Badlands formations at the Trail of the Fossil Hunters site at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. The illumination of the sky and ground is from the rising last quarter Moon off frame to the east at left, adding the warm lighting naturally. Lights from the town of Brooks to the southwest adds the skyglow at right. This is a blend of tracked exposures for the sky and untracked for the ground: 2 x 2-minutes tracked for the sky at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, plus 2 x 5-minutes at f/4 and ISO 800 for the ground, all with the Canon 15-35mm RF lens on the Canon R6 camera, and on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Taken August 29, 2021. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI and some dodge/burn contrast enhancements brushed onto the foreground with TK Actions Paint Contrast action.

Big Dipper over Hoodoo

The Big Dipper over hoodoo formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Arcturus is at left. Illumination of the foreground is from starlight. This is a blend of 2 x 3-minute stacked exposures for the ground at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with a single 30-second untracked exposure at f/2 and ISO 6400 for the sky, all with the 24mm Canon L lens on the Canon EOS Ra camera. A mild Orton glow added to the foreground with Luminar AI. ON1 NoNoise applied to the sky. Taken August 29, 2021.

Planets Rising in Badlands Twilight

Jupiter (brightest) and Saturn (at right) rising in the southeast in Capricornus, amid the deepening evening twilight over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on August 29, 2021. This was from the Trail of the Fossil Hunters site. This is a blend of a stack of 4 x 25-second exposures, untracked, for the ground, and a single 25-second untracked exposure for the sky, all at f/6.3 and ISO 800 with the Canon EF 24mm lens and Canon R6 camera. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI. LENR used on all exposures.

Perseid Meteor Shower over Dinosaur Park

A composite showing about three dozen Perseid meteors accumulated over 3 hours of time, compressed into one image showing the radiant point of the meteor shower in Perseus. This was August 12, 2021, from The Trail of the Fossil Hunters trailhead lot in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. A dim magenta aurora is visible to the northeast at left. Cassiopeia is at centre above the radiant point; the Andromeda Galaxy is just right of centre. Capella is rising at left. Airglow also tints the sky. This is a blend of: a single 30-second exposure for the background sky, one with the aurora at its most active, such as it was this night, with a stack of 8 x 30-second exposures for the ground to smooth noise. Then 32 x 30-second exposures for the individual meteors (a couple of frames have two meteors on them) are overlaid with Lighten blend mode onto the base sky image, each with masks to reveal just the meteors. All frames were with the Canon R6 at ISO 6400 and with the TTArtisan 11mm fish-eye lens at f/2.8. The camera was on a static tripod, not tracking the sky, so I hand-rotated all the meteor frames around Polaris at upper left, to bring them into close alignment to the base sky image, so the positions of all the meteors are close to their actual positions in the starfield when they appeared. A couple of exceptions were the meteors at bottom which appeared in Taurus, below the horizon at the time the sky image was taken, so those meteors are moved up artificially. ON1 NoNoise applied to the sky image. Ground illumination is from starlight.