Nightscapes - Panoramas
Auroral Arc over Wheatfield (Aug 7, 2022)
An arc of a Kp-5 aurora over a wheatfield from home in southern Alberta. The panorama takes in the northern stars, from the Big Dipper and Ursa Major at left, to the W of Cassiopeia at top right of centre, with Perseus below Cassiopeia, and Andromeda and Pegasus at right. Moonlight from the waxing gibbous Moon low in the southwest illuminates the scene. Jupiter is rising at far right low in the southeast. This was taken when the display was at its most active. An hour later as it was fading STEVE appeared in a fabulous show. This is a panorama of 7 segments with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, and Canon RF15-35mm lens at 18mm and f/2.8 for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Panorama of a Grand Display of Noctilucent Clouds
A superb and extensive "grand display" of noctilucent clouds at dawn on July 16, 2022, with the clouds eventually reaching up to the zenith as the sky brightened. Many ripples and wave structures are visible in the clouds. Capella is the star right of top centre; Venus is rising at lower right; Mars is at upper right. This is looking northeast to the dawn twilight. Taken from home from southern Alberta, at about 4:20 am July 16, 2022, in a panorama of 7 segments, each 1.3-second exposures at f/2.8 with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. The original is 19,500 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Cloud Arc over Canola Field (Later Panorama)
A panorama of an arc of noctilucent clouds over a ripening field of yellow canola, on July 14, 2022 from southern Alberta near Hussar. This was about 11:35 pm MDT with the NLCs beginning to diminish in height. The top edge is showing a red rim from red light from the setting sun illuminating the edge of the clouds at their great height, some 80 km up. The waxing gibbous Moon was rising in the southeast opposite this view but was providing only slight warm illumination. The ground is illuminated mostly by twilight, and I have brightened it to bring out the canola colours and the colour contrast between earth and sky, and to compress the naturally high dynamic range in the scene. There is a panorama version of this scene taken 15 minutes earlier showing the NLCs with a greater vertical height set into a brighter sky. Capella is the bright star at right of centre. This is a panorama cropped from 9 segments, each 25 second at f/5.6 with the Canon RF24-105mm lens at 56mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Noctilucent Cloud Arc over Canola Field (Early Panorama)
A panorama of an arc of noctilucent clouds over a ripening field of yellow canola, on July 14, 2022 from southern Alberta near Hussar. This was about 11:20 pm MDT with the NLCs near their peak. They reached a little higher when they first appeared a few minutes earlier in the brighter sky, but capturing them is always a balance between getting them at their maximum height vs. the darkness of the sky background to make the fainter structures stand out. The foreground is illuminated mostly by twilight, and I have brightened it to bring out the canola colours and the colour contrast between earth and sky, and to compress the naturally high dynamic range in the scene. Capella is the bright star at right of centre. This is a panorama cropped from 10 segments, each 10 second at f/4 with the Canon RF24-105mm lens at 56mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 200. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Badlands formations in Dinosaur Provincial Park lit by the light from the July 2022 "supermoon" Full Moon off frame at right and behind the hill, on a very clear night. The stars of the northern sky are set in a deep blue sky. Arcturus is at far left; the Big Dipper is at left (distorted somewhat by the panorama projection); Polaris is left of centre at top; Cassiopeia is right of center; Andromeda and Pegasus are below the W of Cassiopeia, and at far right is the star Altair. The Full Moon was low in the sky to the south and so its light was "warm" in tone and subdued somewhat, allowing the stars to show up better than had it been a high Full Moon, as in winter. And it tints the sky blue, providing a nice contrast with the warm earth tones of the ground. This is a panorama cropped from 9 segments, each 20 seconds untracked, with the Canon RF15-35mm lens at 16mm and f/4, and Canon Ra at ISO 400, in landscape orientation. Stitched n Adobe Camera Raw. A mild Pro Contrast effect added to the ground with Nik Collection Color EFX and a mild Orton glow added to the sky with Luminar AI. The original is 14,000 pixels wide.
Super Moonrise in the Arc of Earth's Shadow
The rising "supermoon" of July 12, 2022 embedded in the blue arc of Earth's shadow, rimmed by the pink Belt of Venus band of twilight colours, all over the badlands formations of Dinosaur Provincial Park on the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. The blue arc is the shadow of the Earth cast onto the atmosphere opposite the sunset point. The pink Belt of Venus is from red sunlight still illuminating the upper atmosphere, an effect that lasts only a few minutes at sunset or sunrise, and requires a very clear sky to show up, as it was this night. I shot this from the upper viewpoint at the Park entrance. You might think the Moon is rising over an Earthly "moonscape," but not so, as there is nothing like this landscape on the Moon. The Badlands here were formed by sedimentary rocks laid down in oceans and eroded by glacial runoff of water. None of that happened on the waterless Moon, where the landscape was formed by the flow of lava and the impact of asteroids. This was the evening before the official date of Full Moon, but the timing of the moonrise and placement of the Moon well below the ecliptic meant it rose on July 12 almost at sunset with the sky still well-tinted with twilight, rather than the Moon rising into a dark sky with too great a contrast to shoot, as it did the next night, July 13 when it was the official date of the Full Moon. This is a panorama of 11 segments, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 87mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. The original is a massive 48,900 pixels wide, so there is a lot of detail! Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
An arc of modest aurora borealis (Northern Lights) across the northern horizon, above a prairie meadow in the light of a bright waxing gibbous Moon, a day before Full. This was just after midnight on July 11/12, 2022 when the sky was also still lit by summer twilight colours, and with a weak display of noctilucent clouds also visible low in the northwest at left. The auroral curtains exhibit the usual green band and rays, but also upper altitude reds and purples and a faint blue tint at the very tops where the aurora is lit by the Sun. The aurora was never bright this night (Kp Index was 3 or 4 at best) and even this level of intensity lasted only a couple of minutes, just enough time to shoot the panorama segments. The stars of Perseus and Andromeda are at right rising in the northeast; some stars of Ursa Major are at left in the northwest. Capella in Auriga shines at centre almost due north. This is a panorama of 6 segments, each 20 seconds, with the RF28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/4, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Taken from near home in southern Alberta, Canada, latitude 51° N. Wind this night kept the mosquitoes off but did blur the foreground flowers. A mild Orton effect added to the entire scene with Luminar AI.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Canola Field (July 10, 2022)
A panorama of noctilucent clouds to the northwest near midnight on the evening of July 10-11, 2022, over a ripening field of yellow canola in southern Alberta, Canada. This was later in the display when the NLCs had faded somewhat, but the sky colours were still prominent. Foreground illumination is from the bright waxing gibbous Moon to the south, making for a nice contrast of colours between earth and sky. Capella is the bright star at far right to the north. The bright blue-white NLCs at high altitude in our atmosphere near the edge of space also contrast with the dark and low tropospheric weather clouds seen in silhouette. As a bonus — can you spot the deer? It posed for a while during one of the long exposures. This is a crop from 9 segments with the RF24-105mm lens at 105mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 800, and all 10 seconds. The original cropped panorama is 32,500 pixels wide. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Shot from near home in Alberta.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Hill and Road (July 10, 2022)
A panorama of noctilucent clouds to the northwest just before midnight on the evening of July 10-11, 2022, over a hill and red farm road in southern Alberta, Canada. Foreground illumination is from the bright waxing gibbous Moon to the south, making for a nice contrast of colours between earth and sky. Capella is the bright star at right to the north down the farm road. At far right are the stars of Perseus in the northeast. This is an uncropped panorama from 9 segments with the RF24-105mm lens at 105mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400, and all 10 seconds. The original panorama is 24,200 pixels wide. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Shot from near home in Alberta.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Prairie Field - Wide-Angle View (July 7, 2022)
A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:50 pm MDT. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground. This is a 3-segment panorama with the RF24-105mm lens at 43mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. All 15-second exposures. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There is a version of this shot earlier with the lens at 76mm for a more close-up view but with a wider horizontal coverage with more segments.
Noctilucent Clouds Over Prairie Field (July 7, 2022)
A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:45 pm MDT. Capella is the bright star due north down the north-south range road at right. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground. This is a crop from a 10-segment panorama with the RF24-105mm lens at 76mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. All 15-second exposures. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There is a version of this shot a little later but with the lens zoomed out to 43mm for a wider view vertically, but not as wide horizontally.
Northern Sky Panorama in Summer Twilight
A panorama of the northern summer sky on an early July night from latitude 51° N with the sky blue with perpetual twilight all night. The Big Dipper is at upper left, Polaris is at upper centre (due north), and Cassiopeia is at right. Andromeda is rising at lower right. Capella is due north just above the horizon. The waxing Moon is setting at lower left. This was from Crawling Lake in southern Alberta, Canada, at midnight daylight time on July 5/6, 2022. It is a stitch of 8 segments, each 30 seconds untracked, with the RF15-35mm lens at f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 400 and in portrait orientation. Stitched with some effort with PTGui. Another panorama taken later up the road made of 12 segments to cover a wider scene but looking over more of the water refused to stitch.
Noctilucent Clouds Close-Up Panorama (July 2-3, 2022)
A close-up panorama of a display of noctilucent clouds on the night of July 2-3, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. The bright sunlit NLCs in the high mesosphere contrast with the dark nearby and lower tropospheric clouds. This is looking north at about midnight local daylight time. This is a panorama of 4 segments, each 15 seconds at f/4 with the RF24-105mm lens at 80mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. There are wider versions of this same scene taken at shorter focal lengths to show the NLCs in context with the wider scene. This version shows the NLC's rippling wave-like structure.
Noctilucent Clouds Wide Panorama (July 2-3, 2022)
A wide panorama of a display of noctilucent clouds on the night of July 2-3, 2022 from home in southern Alberta. The bright sunlit NLCs in the high mesosphere contrast with the dark nearby and lower tropospheric clouds. This is looking north at about midnight local daylight time. This is a panorama cropped from 8 segments, each 15 seconds at f/4 with the RF24-105mm lens at 65mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. There are close-up (80mm lens) and wider-angle (35mm lens) versions of this same scene.
Dawn Twilight Panorama with Planets (June 26, 2022)
A panorama of the morning twilight on June 26, 2022, with the waning crescent Moon in conjunction with Venus low in the north-east and with Mars and Jupiter above. This shows the transition of colours across the spectrum in the dawn twilight. There is a faint wisp of noctilucent cloud at top above the star Capella. This illustrates the line of the ecliptic. And the "big sky" of a prairie dawn. This is a panorama cropped from 8 segments, each 0.8-seconds with the RF28-70mm lens at f/2.8, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Photoshop as Camera Raw oddly refused to stitch all the segments.
The Planet Array at Dawn with Labels (June 26, 2022)
A 180° panorama of the array of the planets in the dawn twiliight on June 26, 2022, with the thin waning crescent Moon just above Venus low in the northeast at centre. At left is a display of wispy noctilucent clouds. The planets from left to right in their correct order out from the Sun are: Venus (low), Mars & Jupiter, and Saturn (at far right). The Pleiades is faintly visible in the twilight above the Venus-Moon pairing. The previous two mornings, when the Moon was between Venus and Mars in the correct order out from he Sun, was alas cloudy. This is a panorama of 11 segments, each 4 seconds at f/2.8 with the RF28-70mm lens at 37mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
The Array of Planets at Dawn on Summer Solstice (with Labels)
The array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on summer solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus at centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right of centre; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, a fading display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 10 segments, each 0.6-seconds, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 29,400 pixels wide.
The Array of Planets at Dawn on Summer Solstice
The array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on summer solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus at centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right of centre; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, a fading display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 10 segments, each 0.6-seconds, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 29,400 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Clouds and Planet Array at Summer Solstice Dawn (with Labels)
A stunning dawn sky on the day of summer solstice. This is the array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus just right of centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, an extensive display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky over my house. The dawn twilight colours the sky at centre in the northeast. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 13 segments, each 1-second exposures, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 35,200 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Clouds and Planet Array at Summer Solstice Dawn
A stunning dawn sky on the day of summer solstice. This is the array of four naked-eye planets at dawn on solstice morning, June 21, 2022, with Venus just right of centre low in the twilight; Mars and Jupiter at right; and Saturn at far right, plus the waning last quarter Moon below Jupiter. Unusually, the planets appear from east to west across the sky in the same order as they are in distance out from the Sun. As a bonus, an extensive display of noctilucent clouds appears at left in the northern sky over my house. The dawn twilight colours the sky at centre in the northeast. This was from home at latitude 51° North, where the bright sky and low altitude of the planets made it tough to capture them more distinctly. However, they were all easily visible to the naked eye. While Mercury was just rising at this time to the left and below of Venus, it does not appear here as it was too low and lost in the bright twilight. It was not visible in binoculars. This is a panorama of 13 segments, each 1-second exposures, with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8, with the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched with Camera Raw. The original image is 35,200 pixels wide.
Noctilucent Clouds Panorama (June 20, 2022)
A panorama of NLCs – noctilucent clouds – aka PMCs or polar mesospheric clouds, taken on June 20, 2022 about 11:40 pm MDT, from home in southern Alberta. After many cloudy nights and some clear nights with no NLCs, this was my first sighting since June 1. The bright luminous mesospheric clouds lit by sunlight at high altitude contrast with the dark tropospheric clouds to the left at low altitude. The bright star Capella in Auriga, low in the north and circumpolar from my latitude of 51° N, is left of centre. The stars of Perseus are at upper right. This is a panorama cropped from 9 segments of 5-second exposures, with the RF24-105mm lens at f/4 and 80mm, and with the Canon R5 at ISO 400. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Auroral Arc with Purple Pillars and STEVE
A panorama of the Kp5-level aurora on May 27, 2022, from home, with the aurora displaying prominent magenta rays, created by the red oxygen emission blending with illumination from blue scattered sunlight at high altitudes, common around the summer solstice when the high atmosphere is lit all night long. As a bonus, a dim STEVE arc is forming at far right, to the south of the main auroral oval where STEVE normally appears. STEVE faded, then returned to become more strong and visible across the sky from east to west as the main aurora to the north faded. Orange Antares in Scorpius is rising at far right low in the southeast. The Summer Triangle stars are right of centre. This is a panorama of 9 segments, each 10 seconds with the 21mm TTArtisan lens at f/2 and the Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Stitched with Photoshop's Photomerge. The original is 28,400 pixels wide.
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 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.