Solar System - Moon
The rising Full Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. Here the Moon is set a dark blue crepuscular ray (or more correctly, anti-crepuscular ray) converging on the point directly opposite the Sun. The ray was a shadow cast by clouds in the west, which parted enough for a few moments for the setting Sun to light the foreground, making for a colourful contrast between ground and sky. This is a single exposure with the Canon R5 and Canon RF100-400mm lens at 236mm. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. A mild glow layer added to the ground in Photoshop with Luminar Neo.
The Rising of the Winter "Wolf " Moon
The rising Full "Wolf" Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. The sequence demonstrates the changes in colour of the rising Moon from atmospheric absorption, and changes in its shape from atmospheric refraction. This night the Moon was full almost at the same time as it rose from my location. However, the Moon's high northerly declination — it was about 4° north of the ecliptic — meant that it rose far to the northeast and some 30 minutes before the Sun set, despite the Moon being opposite the Sun. As such, even for the last shot, with the Moon several Moon diameters in altitude, the Sun was still up and lighting the landscape. In fact, at that time the Sun broke through clouds in the southwest to light the foreground with warm light. In this blend, the ground and majority of the sky comes from the final image with the highest Moon and warmest landscape lighting. For the earlier shots the Moon came up in a very bright sky. And so, to better represent the scene, some of the sky coloration — the magentas and cyans — comes from earlier exposures blended in with broad-brush masks. Dark anti-crepuscular rays also added subtle sky colouration and bands of darker blue. This is a sequence of 9 images at an interval of 2.5 minutes, extracted from a set of 80 frames taken every 15 seconds with the camera on automatic exposure, as the sky and ground remained bright enough for an accurate meter reading. The first 8 Moons are masked and layered in with a Lighten blend mode. All images were the Canon R5 at ISO 125 and Canon RF100-400mm lens at 281mm and f/8. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. Glow and dynamic contrast filters added with ON1 Effects plug-in.
Winter Full Moonrise in Crepuscular Rays
The rising Full Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. Here the Moon is set in the pink Belt of Venus and with dark blue crepuscular rays (or more correctly, anti-crepuscular rays) converging on the point directly opposite the Sun. The rays are shadows cast by clouds in the west, which parted enough for a few moments for the setting Sun to light the foreground, making for a colourful contrast between ground and sky. This night — and this year — the winter Full Moon (popularly called the Wolf Moon) was at a particularly high declination north of the ecliptic, about 4° above the ecliptic. So it rose more to the north than it normally would. This geometry is evident here in that the Moon lies well above (north of) the point where the shadows are converging to, which would be the position of the anti-Sun point on the ecliptic. This was the night of the Full Moon — in fact, the time of Full Moon almost exactly coincided with moonrise for me. However, the high declination of the Moon meant it rose about 30 minutes before sunset, so it rose into quite a bright sky, and was well up by the time the sky darkened enough to show these twilight colours. The next night the Moon, now a day past full, rose 30 minutes after sunset into a much darker sky. This is a single exposure with the Canon Ra and Canon RF70-200mm lens at 94mm. The red-sensitive Ra helps bring out the Belt of Venus colours. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. A mild glow layer added in Photoshop with the Radiant Photo plug-in.
Observing Mars on a Winter Night (December 9, 2022)
A selfie of me observing Mars, the bright object at top, in Taurus, on a mild winter night from home on December 9, 2022. Mars was then two days past opposition and at its brightest. The waning gibbous Moon is the bright glow at left, lighting the sky blue and the snowy landscape below with sparkling moonlight. Orion is rising behind me, while Gemini is at far left. I am observing with the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor, an almost vintage telescope now, purchased in 1993 and still one of the best made of its type. It is on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. This is a blend of two exposures with the TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8, one focused on me, and one focused on the stars, both with the Canon R6 at ISO 800 for 3.2 seconds. Diffraction spikes on Mars added for artistic effect with AstronomyTools actions.
Reflected Moonrise Over Prairie Lake (Composite)
The rising of the Full "Hunter's Moon" of October 9, 2022, with the Moon reflected in the calm waters this night at Crawling Lake Reservoir in southern Alberta. The Moon appeared very pink as it rose into the clear sky near the horizo, then turned more yellow as it rose into scattered bands of cloud. This serves as a goo demo of the Moon illusion and how the Moon does not change size as it rises — it is the same size on the horizon as it is higher up. This is a blend of 10 images taken 3 minutes apart with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and Canon R5, each frame exposed for the Moon. The frames were blended onto the first image (which contributes the lowest Moon and all the sky and foreground) in Photoshop using a Normal blend mode but with Blend If sliders and masks to isolate the later moons and reflected moons. There is also a single-image version of this scene.
Reflected Moonrise Over Prairie Lake (Single)
The rising of the Full "Hunter's Moon" of October 9, 2022, with the Moon reflected in the calm waters this night at Crawling Lake Reservoir in southern Alberta. The Moon appeared very pink as it rose into the clear sky near the horizon. This is a single image with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and Canon R5. There is also a composite time-lapse version of this, as this was one frame from a set of 110 frames taken this night as the Moon rose.
Hunter's Moonrise (Oct 8, 2022)
The rising of the nearly Full Moon on October 8, 2022, the Hunter's Moon. This was the evening before the official day of Full Moon. Jupiter is just at upper right. This is a single shot with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4 on the Canon R5. Taken from near home in southern Alberta.
Rising of the Harvest Moon (Sept 9, 2022)
The rising Full Moon of September 9, 2022, the Harvest Moon for 2022, coming up over a rolling harvested prairie field near home in southern Alberta, on a very clear evening. This is a single shot with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm f/4 lens at 200mm and f/8.
Rising of the Harvest Moon Sequence (Sept 9, 2022)
The rising Full Moon of September 9, 2022, the Harvest Moon for 2022, coming up over a rolling harvested prairie field near home in southern Alberta, on a very clear evening. This is a composite of 11 exposures blended with Lighter Color mode onto the base layer exposure of the Moon just coming up and the sky and ground. The subsequent exposures were shot at increasingly shorter shutter speeds to preserve the colour and brightness of the Moon's disk (ie. exposing for the Moon not the sky or ground). Shot at 1 minute intervals, but exposures taken every 3 minutes were selected for the composite except at the start when atmospheric refraction makes the Moon rise faster than it does later in the sequence. All were shot with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm lens at 200mm.
Full Moonrise on Highway 10 at Dorothy, Alberta
The Full Moon rise of August 11, 2022 over the old grain elevator on Highway 10 at Dorothy, Alberta, in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley. This was dubbed a "supermoon" and the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular media. It just happened to rise at a location that placed it right down the south-east facing highway in the valley. I used The Photographer's Ephemeris to locate the spot to get the shot! This is a blend of two exposures: 6-second exposure for the ground and 1/4-second for the Moon, taken moments apart and both with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the William Optics 66mm f/7 apo refractor for a focal length of 460mm. I added a mild Orton glow effect to the ground with Luminar AI. Dodging and burning added with a neutral grey layer created with Lumenzia.
August Moonrise at Dorothy Grain Elevator
The Full Moon rise of August 11, 2022 over the old grain elevator on Highway 10 at Dorothy, Alberta, in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley. This was dubbed a "supermoon" and the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular media. It just happened to rise at a location that placed it right down the south-east facing highway in the valley. I used The Photographer's Ephemeris app to locate the spot to get the shot! This is a single 1.6-second exposure with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the William Optics 66mm f/7 apo refractor for a focal length of 460mm. However, an unending stream of cars coming down the hill and then toward me as the Moon rose made it impossible to get a shot free of headlights. And yet, in the 20 minutes prior waiting for the Moon to rise, not a car was to be seen. I added a mild Orton glow effect to the ground with Luminar AI. Dodging and burning added with a neutral grey layer created with Lumenzia.
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.
Super Mooonrise over the Badlands
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 band on the horizon is the shadow of the Earth cast onto the atmosphere opposite the sunset point. The pink Belt of Venus above the shadow 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 single image, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. There are also panorama versions of this scene.
Crescent Moon Setting at Dinosaur Park
The waxing crescent Moon two days after New low in a smoky sky setting over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This was June 30, 2022. Despite the hazy skies, the twilight colours show up well in the sky. The glow of Earthshine shows up slightly on the night side of the Moon. This is a blend of a single 3.2-second shot with the RF24-105mm lens at f/4 and 105mm for the sky, with a stack of four longer 13-second exposures for the darker ground at the same lens settings, and with Canon R5 at ISO 200.
Crescent Moon over Red Deer River
The waxing crescent Moon two days after New low in a smoky sky and over the Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This was June 30, 2022, Despite the hazy skies, the twilight colours show up well in the sky and reflected in the water. The glow of Earthshine shows up slightly on the night side of the Moon. Castor and Pollux in Gemini show up faintly at right. This is a single 2.5-second shot with the RF24-105mm lens at f/5.6 and Canon R5 at ISO 125. Processed almost entirely in Adobe Camera Raw with masks for sky, trees, and water.
Lunar Halo Complex on Good Friday
A complex of halo phenomena on the evening of April 15, 2022, Good Friday of the 2022 Easter weekend, around the almost Full Moon. Ice crystals in the high cloud created the halos and arcs, set in the spring night sky, with the Big Dipper at top, Arcturus to the left, and Regulus and Leo at right. The colours of the arcs and sundogs were just visible to the unaided eye. Visible are: — The 22° halo — A large partial halo that looks like a 46° halo but is actually a supralateral arc. — A pair of paraselene (called parhelia when they are around the Sun) or colourful "moondogs" sit on either side of the Moon just outside the 22° halo. — The top of the 22° halo has a colourful upper tangent arc plus a faint Parry arc. — Tangent to the supralateral arc is a rainbow-hued circumzenithal arc. — A paraselenic (?) circle (called a parhelic circle when it is created by the Sun) runs parallel to the horizon through the moondogs and Moon. — A faint and wide vertical light pillar also runs through the Moon up to the top arcs. This is a blend of 7 exposures from 30 seconds to 1/20 seconds to help retain the disk of the Moon amid the bright and hazy sky. All with the 11mm TTArtisan full-frame fish-eye lens at f/4 and Canon R6 at ISO 100. Exposures blended with luminosity masks created with ADP Pro v3.
A complex of halo phenomena on the evening of April 15, 2022, Good Friday of the 2022 Easter weekend, around the almost Full Moon. Ice crystals in the high cloud created the halos and arcs, set in the spring night sky, with the Big Dipper at top, Arcturus to the left, and Regulus and Leo at right of centre. The colours of the arcs and sundogs were just visible to the unaided eye. Visible are: — The main and common 22° halo. — A large partial halo that looks like a 46° halo but is actually a supralateral arc. — A pair of paraselene (called parhelia when they are around the Sun) or colourful "moondogs" sit on either side of the Moon just outside the 22° halo. — The top of the 22° halo has a colourful upper tangent arc plus a faint Parry arc. — Tangent to the supralateral arc is a rainbow-hued circumzenithal arc. — A paraselenic (?) circle (called a parhelic circle when it is created by the Sun) runs parallel to the horizon through the moondogs and Moon. — Far to the west is a rare 120° paraselene, another moondog. Had their been more haze to the east there would have been another 120° paraselene to the left for a more symmetrical display. This is a stitch of 7 exposures all 30 seconds with the 11mm TTArtisan full-frame fish-eye lens at f/4 and Canon R6 at ISO 100. Segments stitched with PTGui with full-frame fisheye projection.
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.
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.
The rising of the full Moon of October, the Hunter's Moon, in 2021. Taken from home in southern Alberta. Clouds thwarted plans to travel elsewhere but as it turned out the Moon rose into a clear band allowing a last-minute shoot from home. This is a 4-exposure blend to take in the dark ground without overexposing the Moon, with the 200mm lens at f/11 on the Canon Ra camera at ISO 400. Blended with ADP Pro luminosity masks. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar AI.
Moonrise near the September equinox, in this case on the evening of September 21, 2021, which was the evening before the day of equinox this year, which occurred in the afternoon of Sept. 22. The Moon was a day past Full as the Harvest Moon. But the position of the Moon below the ecliptic this year meant it rose closer to due east this night, the night after Full. The Moon of course is usually not Full at an equinox. But when it is, as it almost was this year, it rises close to due east and sets close to due west, as the Sun does, because the Full Moon lies opposite the Sun. The Moon actually rose a little north of due east this night. The star at left is Capella. This is a 7-exposure blend, in auto-bracketed sequence from a short 1/10 second image for essentially just the Moon's disk, to 6 seconds for the sky and foreground. All were with the 24-105mm RF lens at f/5.6 and 105mm, and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 400. The images were blended not with HDR but with luminosity masks created with the ADP Pro (aka Lumiflow) extension panel for Photoshop, which does an auto-blend for up to 7 images. I added a mild Orton glow effect with Luminar AI.
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.