Badlands by Super Moonlight

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.

Autumn Constellations Rising in Super Moonlight

The northern autumn constellations rising on a moonlit summer night over the badlands formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on July 12, 2022, just before local midnight. The image frames the stars of Cassiopeia (upper left), Perseus (at left), Andromeda (centre) and Pegasus (partly cut off at right). Light from the almost Full Moon, a supermoon this night and low in the south, illuminates the sky blue and foreground a warm colour. The Andromeda Galaxy is just visible in the bright sky at centre. This is a blend of a single 20-second untracked exposure for the sky with a stack of 4 x 20-second exposures for the ground, all with the Canon RF15-35mm lens at 23mm and f/4 and Canon Ra at ISO 400. A mild Pro Contrast filter applied to the ground with Nik Collection Color EFX.

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.

Autumn Constellations Over Moonlit Hoodoos

The northern autumn constellations of Pegasus (partially seen at right), Andromeda (across the centre), Perseus (at lower left) and Cassiopeia (at upper left) rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at centre. The star clusters NGC 752, M34 and the Double Cluster are at left, as well as the Perseus OB Association of stars. Some of the small star clusters in Cassiopeia are resolved as well. Some green bands of airglow also tint the sky, otherwise lit blue by the moonlight. 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 but only one for the sky: 2 minutes at f/5.6 and ISO 800 for the ground and 1 minute at f/2.8 and ISO 400 for the sky, all 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. Noise reduction applied to the single sky image using RC-Astro Noise XTerminator. I didn't take any more sky shots as the Moon was fast setting and disappearing into clouds, so the light for the ground shots taken after the sky shot would be going away soon. Plus clouds were moving into the frame. The mosquitoes enjoyed my presence here this warm July night!

Big Dipper Over Moonlit Hoodoos

The Big Dipper and Ursa Major over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light. 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 2 for the sky: 2 minutes at f/5.6 and ISO 800 for the ground and 1 minute at f/2.8 and ISO 400 for the sky, all 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!

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 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!

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.

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.

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.