Nightscapes - Satellites
Twice a year around the equinoxes geostationary satellites can flare in brightness when they are opposite the Sun and reflecting sunlight directly back to the viewer. This captures a string of geostationary satellites flaring near the opposition point, here below Mars this night, as Mars was just past opposition itself. This was October 17, 2020. The string of satellites appear as stationary points as they are fixed in the sky while the stars trail behind them, here in this stack of fifteen 30-second exposures. So the stars are moving from east to west but the geosats are not. Normally, geosats are very dim but when they flare they do get bright enough to see naked eye. While geosats orbit in the equatorial plane of Earth they appear below the Celestial Equator here (which is the projection of Earth’s equator onto the sky) due to parallax from me observing them from my latitude of 51° North. All exposures 30 seconds at f/2 and ISO 3200 with the Sigma 20mm lens and Nikon D750. Stacked in Photoshop. I framed the scene to capture more geosats to the south as the opposition point moved to due south but clouds moved in. This is looking southeast.
String of Flaring Geosats (Annotated)
Twice a year around the equinoxes geostationary satellites can flare in brightness when they are opposite the Sun and reflecting sunlight directly back to the viewer. This captures a string of geostationary satellites flaring near the opposition point, here below Mars this night, as Mars was just past opposition itself. This was October 17, 2020. The string of satellites appear as stationary points as they are fixed in the sky while the stars trail behind them, here in this stack of fifteen 30-second exposures. So the stars are moving from east to west but the geosats are not. Normally, geosats are very dim but when they flare they do get bright enough to see naked eye. While geosats orbit in the equatorial plane of Earth they appear below the Celestial Equator here (which is the projection of Earth’s equator onto the sky) due to parallax from me observing them from my latitude of 51° North. All exposures 30 seconds at f/2 and ISO 3200 with the Sigma 20mm lens and Nikon D750. Stacked in Photoshop. I framed the scene to capture more geosats to the south as the opposition point moved to due south but clouds moved in. This is looking southeast.
ISS Passage with Moon and Mars Rising
This Space Station flying away to the southeast as the Full Moon and Mars, in conjunction that night, rise together in the east. Taken from home October 2, 2020. This is a stack of 4 exposures for the ISS trail. I just had time to get the camera aimed and focused to grab the last part of the ISS passage. With the 24mm Sigma Art and Nikon D750.
Comet NEOWISE with Noctilucent Clouds and ISS (with Labels) (July 5, 2020)
Bright Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) rising in the northeast into the dawn sky on July 5, 2020, visible here as the small spot left of centre in the bright twilight. The northeast sky was also filled with noctilucent clouds (NLCs) that grew even more extensive this morning as the Sun angle below the horizon decreased and the NLCs lit up more to cover much of the sky. Venus is bright to the right, with the Pleiades star cluster above Venus. Capella is the bright star at top left. The comet is in a line directly down from Capella and just above the orange band of twilight. And as if that were not enough, the International Space Station flew over and away to the east in the scene here to the right of Venus, fading as it flew away. In all, this was one of the most amazing morning sky scenes I have seen. This was from home in Alberta at about 4:00 am MDT under very clear skies. The comet had passed perihelion only a few days eariler and was emerging here into the dawn sky. This is a panorama of 4 segments at 1.6 seconds each with the 50mm Sigma lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Comet NEOWISE with Noctilucent Clouds and ISS (July 5, 2020)
Bright Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) rising in the northeast into the dawn sky on July 5, 2020, visible here as the small spot left of centre in the bright twilight. The northeast sky was also filled with noctilucent clouds (NLCs) that grew even more extensive this morning as the Sun angle below the horizon decreased and the NLCs lit up more to cover much of the sky. Venus is bright to the right, with the Pleiades star cluster above Venus. Capella is the bright star at top left. The comet is in a line directly down from Capella and just above the orange band of twilight. And as if that were not enough, the International Space Station flew over and away to the east in the scene here to the right of Venus, fading as it flew away. In all, this was one of the most amazing morning sky scenes I have seen. This was from home in Alberta at about 4:00 am MDT under very clear skies. The comet had passed perihelion only a few days eariler and was emerging here into the dawn sky. This is a panorama of 4 segments at 1.6 seconds each with the 50mm Sigma lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
A train of Starlinks on April 18, 2020, from the 5 batch launched a month earlier on March 18, 2020, in procession across the south in the darkening twilight, from home in Alberta. This is one frame from 100 shot this evening as they appeared in a long train over more than an hour. Many were magnitude +1. However, two nights later most appeared 2 t 3 magnitudes fainter and were hard to photograph and, except for a few, were not easy to pick out to the naked eye. An attempt to record a time-lapse on April 20 didn’t record many. This is a single 4-second exposure at f/2.2 with the 14mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 800.
Starlink Satellite Train in Twilight
A pass of the Starlink 4 train of satellites on March 26, 2020. This was the set launched February 17, 2020, not the then latest set of Starlink 5s launched March 18. So more than a month after launch they were still bright, at magnitude +1 or so. But note that at left they are dimming as they enter Earth’s shadow. They paraded across the sky over many minutes, each disappearing to the south. The stars are pinpoints but the satellites are streaks because of their motion over the length of the 13-second exposure. This view is looking southwest. Sirius is at right; Alphard in Hydra is at upper left. This is a single 13-second exposure at f/2 with the Sigma 24mm lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 1600.
StarLink1 Pass in Moonlight (January 5, 2020)
A pass of several of the second set (but called Starlink1) of Starlink satellites in the moonlight on January 5, 2020. This was the set launched in November 2019. Here 5 Starlinks out of a couple of dozen closely spaced satellites on this pass can be seen emerging from the clouds at right and heading southeast below the waxing gibbous Moon where they disappear into Earth’s shadow this night. This was from home in Alberta . This is a single exposure, not a stack or coomposite. with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 14mm lens for 2 seconds at f/1.8 and ISO 1600. This is one frame from a short time-lapse sequence.
The International Space Station (ISS) travels across the sky on December 2, 2019, beginning at 6:08 p.m. MST, from due west at left to due east at right, passing high in the north at centre in this 360° fish-eye view. At right, the ISS fades from view at it experiences sunset, dimming and reddening as it passes above the Pleiades. This was from home in Alberta with a waxing quarter Moon providing the illumination, with the Moon behind the camera due south and out of frame. This is looking due north. I am posing for a selfie with the Station. This is a stack of 7 x 40-second exposures for the ISS path, masked and blended in Lighten mode onto a single image for the sky, foreground, and me! That background layer was shot immediately after the last ISS frame. All with the 8mm Sigma fish-eye lens at f/3.5 and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1000.
Milky Way and ISS over Waterton Lakes
The northern summer Milky Way setting over the mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada, with the Space Station rising at right, then fading into sunset, in a trail from the series of long exposures. This is from the Bison Compound viewpoint looking south and southwest, on September 21, 2019, in frames taken as part of a time-lapse. This is a stack of 8 images for the ground to smooth noise, one image from the set for the stars to minimize trailing, and a stack of 6 images masked to reveal just the ISS trail. The trail fades to deep red as the ISS travels into the Earth’s shadow as it rose here and experienced sunset at their altitude. A mild Orton glow effect added with Luminar Flex. Each exposure in the set was 30 seconds at ISO 4000 and f/2 with the Venus Optics 15mm lens and Sony a7III. Part of a 360-frame time-lapse.
A Last Iridium Flare (May 7, 2019)
One of the final Iridium flares, from Iridium 61, on May, 7, 2019, from home in Alberta, in the northeast at 11:21 pm MDT. This is a stack of several 30-second exposures with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D MkII.
Mars, Stars and the ISS (March 30, 2019)
The ISS (Space Station) flies past the Pleiades star cluster, with reddish Mars below, and the larger Hyades star cluster at left with the reddish star Aldebaran. This was March 30, 2019, looking west into the evening twilight sky. The ISS was rising out of the west and twilight glow, climbing up the frame here. The sky gradient is from twilight and the Zodiacal Light in the west. Canadian astronaut David St. Jacques was on board at this time in early 2019. This is a stack of 3 x 3 minute tracked exposures for the background to smooth noise, mean combined, plus the single 3-minute exposure with the ISS, layered in with Lighten blend mode, all at f/3.5 with the Sigma 50mm lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 200. High haze and clouds added the star glows. though I also added an Orton effect layer to boost the star glow effect. I used the app GoSatWatch to preview the path of the ISS and plan the framing and timing.
ISS Pass in the Blue Hour Twilight
A passage of the International Space Station high across the north in the late blue hour of twilight, with the stars appearing, though the ISS outshines them all. This was the 5:17 pm pass on December 6, 2018 from southern Alberta, and taken with a fixed camera on a tripod, so the stars are trailing slightly as the rotate about Polaris at lower centre. The view is looking north though the fish-eye lens takes in much of the sky. The Big Dipper skims low across the north at botton. On board was Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques on his third day in space of a 6-month mission. This is a stack of 21 10-second exposures at f/3.5 with the Sigma 8mm lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 400. The one-second interval between exposures adds the gaps.
Gazing skyward at a passage of the International Space Station as it flies from west to east (right to left) and passes into the shadow of the Earth at top left and fades out as it experiences sunset. This was December 5, 2018, two days after the arrival of Expedition 58 with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques for a 6-month stay. I posed for two of the frames. This pass of the ISS started at 6:17 p.m. MST and was mostly sunlit but the late hour, while providing a dark sky background, meant that the ISS was going to go into our planet’s shadow and enter the night side of the planet. The view is looking south, with west to the right and east to the left. The ISS passed almost directly overhead, crossing the Milky Way. Mars is the bright object above my head. This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute tracked exposures at ISO 1600 for the sky and ISS path to keep the stars as pinpoint, and two untracked 1-minute exposures at ISO 3200 for the ground to minimize blurring, masked and blended in. All with the Sigma 8mm fish-eye lens at f/3.5 and Canon 6D MkII on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker.
Looking Up at a Canadian in Space
One Canadian on Earth gazing skyward at another Canadian in space! Here I am looking skyward at the passage of the International Space Station, with Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques newly on board, having arrived with his fellow Expedition 58 crew members the day before on a Soyuz rocket. The ISS here appears in a set of time exposures as a streak across the sky, with the streak broken as it went in and out of clouds and with gaps from the one second interval between exposures. That gap also adds the mottled or herringbone effect to the moving clouds. The stars (and Mars to the south) are all slightly trailed as well. The timing of this passage early in the evening meant that the entire pass of the ISS was visible and illuminated by sunlight. The ISS was still in daylight. Any later and the ISS would have faded out at some point along its path as it entered Earth’s shadow and went into night. This view is looking south but the ISS passed just north of overhead. West is to the right, so the ISS passed from right to left in this scene and is flying away at left. This is a stack of twenty 10-second exposures at 1-second intervals, with the Sigma 8mm fish-eye lens at f/3.5 and Canon 6D Mark II at ISO 800, taken on a pass beginning at 5:35 p.m. MST on December 4, 2018. Stacked in Photoshop with Maximum stack mode, with a final shot with me in frame layered and masked in. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
STEVE Aurora over Bow Lake with the ISS
This is a rare appearance of the unusual STEVE auroral arc on the night of July 16-17, 2018, with a relatively low Kp Index of only 2 to 3. While the auroral arc was visible the ISS made a bright pass heading east. This is a blend of a single 15-second exposure for the sky and ground, with seven 15-second exposures for the ISS, but masked to reveal just the ISS trail and its reflection in the water. The ISS shots were taken at 3-second intervals, thus the gaps. All with the Sigma 20mm Art lens at f/2 and Nikon D750 at ISO 6400. Taken from Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta.
A Busy Sky – Mars, Meteor, Milky Way and Iridiums!
A busy sky with bright red Mars rising east of the Milky Way, while a pair of Iridium satellites flare briefly as they travel in unison up along the Milky Way from south to north. Meanwhile, about 20 minutes later a very bright meteor flared and produced a lasting train of “smoke”, seen at left and composited in from two later frames – but with it located where it appeared, above Mars. But to be clear — the meteor did not appear at the same time as the Iridiums. Nevertheless, this captures the fact that there were a lot of satellites and meteors this night, on a very clear though short summer night. It was a busy sky! The Iridium trails come from 5 exposures masked and layered onto a single base image of the sky, to minimize star trailing. I say they are Iridiums as they have all the hallmark of such, but no Iridium flares were predicted for this time and position, so they could be another pair of satellites. But they do seem like Iridiums and these will be among the last such flares, as by year end the first generation of flaring Iridiums will have been de-orbited, replaced by a new style of satellite whose design does not produce flares. So “Flare-well” Iridiums! Each exposure was 30 seconds at f/2.8 with the Sigma 24mm Art lens and the Nikon D750 at ISO 3200. They were taken as part of a 200-frame time-lapse. Taken from home in Alberta on July 9-10, 2018 as part of some technique testing.
A Busy Morning Sky with the Moon, Planets and ISS
A busy morning sky, with the waning crescent Moon shining above the pairing of Mars (left) and Jupiter (right), with the Space Station also streaking by below in four exposures. The Moon and planets are in Libra. Left of centre, Antares and the stars of Scorpius are just rising in the dawn twilight. This was from home on January 11, 2018 about 7 am MST, with the temperature about -30° C, but little wind thankfully. This is a stack of four exposures for the ground to smooth noise, one for the sky, and three more for the sky but masked to show just the ISS trails. Each was 10 seconds at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with the 35mm lens and Canon 6D MkII. The 3-second interval between exposures (I was using the self-timer to fire the shutter) created the gaps in the ISS trails.
Twin Iridium Satellite Flares (October 9, 2017)
A pair of nearly simultaneous and parallel Iridium satellite flares, on October 9, 2017, as they descended into the north. The left or westerly flare was much brighter and with a sharp rise and fall in brightness. While it was predicted to be mag. -4.4 I think it got much brighter, perhaps mag -7, but very briefly. The right flare was predicted to be ,ag. -3.3 which was about correct. These are Iridium 90 (left) and Iridium 50 (right). I used GoSatWatch app to look up the predictions and satellite identities. Several other satellite trails are also in the picture. This is a stack of 40+ exposures each, 2 seconds at 1-second intervals, with the Sigma 24mm lens at f/1.4 and Nikon D750 at ISO 6400.
Iridium Satellite Flare (October 8, 2017)
A magnitude -4 Iridium satellite flare descending toward the northern horizon on October 8, 2017, shot from home in southern Alberta. There are numerous other satellite trails in the frame and at least one aircraft. While predicted to be -7, this flare was more like -4 at best. But the satellite was visible before and after the flare. This was Iridium #13. This is a series of 60+ stacked 2-second exposures at 1-second intervals, with the 24mm lens and Nkikon D750. The glow in the clouds is from Drumheller to the north.
Tumbling Satellite over Dinosaur Park
A satellite trail with the satellite tumbling perhaps to provide a pulsating trail as it traveled across the sky from north to south (left to right), varying up and down in brightness. This serve as an illustration of this type of satellite. It might be a spent rocket booster, not a working satellite. Taken as part of a time-lapse and stacking set for the Perseid meteor shower. These frames were shot over 6 minutes. The rising waning Moon is lighting the sky at right. This is a stack of 14 images for the satellite and sky, blended with Lighten mode, and 4 for the ground stacked with Mean mode to smooth noise. Shot from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, using the Canon 6D Mark II and Rokinon 14mm f/2.5 lens. 25 second exposures at ISO 3200.
A stack of 7 images recording the passage of a twin pair of satellites, upper right, traveling together in a parallel path. A small flaring satellite is also at left. This was taken from frames shot August 11 from home for the 2017 Perseid meteor shower. The Moon is about to rise at right, thus the bright glow on the horizon. Polaris is at upper left.
The International Space Station in a dawn pass, as it flies away to the east after passing overhead. This was the morning of July 15, 2017. Venus is the bright object at lower left; the overexposed waning Moon is at right. The Pleiades is above Venus, the Hyades cluster is just to the right of Venus. Capella is the bright star at far left. This is a composite stack of 24 exposures for the ISS, masked onto a single background image of the sky taken just before the ISS entered the frame. This kept the stars as points rather than trails, while the ISS trailed across the sky. The gaps are from the 2 second interval between 10-second exposures. All with the Canon 6D and 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.5.
The International Space Station in a dawn pass, as it flies away to the east after passing overhead. This was the morning of July 15, 2017. Blended in are images taken 20 minutes later of a pair of Iridium satellite flares in the dawn, the one below (Iridium 54) being the first to appear, at a predicted magnitude of -7, while the one above (Iridium 90) appeared one minute later at magnitude -3. Venus is the bright object at lower left in the dawn twilight above Aldbaran and below the Pleaides. Capella is at far left. The waning Moon is overexposed at far right. This is a bit of cheat as the Iridiums were taken later than the ISS shots, but with the camera not moved and shooting a time-lapse through the entire sequence, from ISS appearance until the expected Iridium appearances later. The sky for the Iridiums was brighter and bluer than for the ISS set, so that had to be corrected for in brightness and selective colour adjustments. This is a useful image for comparing the ISS and Iridiums to Venus for brightness. However, by the time the ISS got into the east here, it had dimmed quite a bit from its peak in brightness overhead. The set for the Iridiums is a composite of 8 exposures, all 10 second exposures at f/2.5 with the Rokinon 14mm SP and Canon 6D. The set for the ISS trail is a composite stack of 24 exposures for the ISS, masked onto a single background image of the sky taken just before the ISS entered the frame. This kept the stars as points rather than trails, while the ISS trailed across the sky. The gaps are from the 2 second interval between 10-second exposures. All with the Canon 6D and 14mm Rokinon lens at f/2.5.