Mars, Venus and Jupiter (in that order from top to bottom) in a triangle, in conjunction, at an old farmstead near Vulcan, Alberta, in the morning twilight, October 28, 2015. Illumination is from the nearly Full Hunter’s Moon in the west. The trio of planets were in Leo in a fine conjunction not to be repeated until November 21, 2111. Almost all of Leo is visible here, with Regulus, the constellation’s brightest star, just to the right of the windmill blades at top. This is a stack of 6 exposures for the ground, mean combined to smooth noise, and one exposure for the sky, all 10 seconds at f/4 and ISO 800 with the Canon 6D and Canon 24mm lens.
Orion and the Dog Stars over an old rustic farmhouse near Vulcan, Alberta. Orion is at centre, while to the lower left is the “Dog Star” Sirius in Canis Major, while at upper left, at the edge of the frame, is the dog star Procyon in Canis Minor. The nearly full Hunter’s Moon in the morning sky off frame at right provides the illumination, plus a passing car headlight in one frame to add a warmer light to the house. This is a stack of 6 exposures, mean combined, to reduce noise in the foreground, with the sky coming from just one image to prevent star trailing. All were 8 second exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with the Canon 6D and 24mm Canon lens. Shot in the dawn on October 28, 2015.
Orion and Canis Major over Lake Annette, in Jasper National Park, with Sirius and other stars reflected in the waters. Orion appears over Whistler peak, illuminated in part by lights from the Jasper townsite. I shot this on the morning of October 25, 2015, as the sky was brightening with dawn twilight. The exposure was 25 seconds at f/2.8 with the 24mm lens and at ISO 3200 with the Canon 6D. The camera was untracked, on a fixed tripod. No filter was employed - the fuzzy star glows come from high haze in the sky that morning.
