Fifty-two years ago today...

man last walked on the Moon in Taurus-Littrow valley. Here’s tonight’s waxing gibbous Moon, three days from full, with the Apollo 17 landing site indicated by the orange x where astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt (a geologist) performed three days of exploration in 1972.

Taurus–Littrow valley is located on the southeastern edge of Mare Serenitatis, the landing site of Apollo 17, indicated by the tiny orange x.

Elusive comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchishan-ATLAS was finally spotted...

shortly after sunset this evening, low to the west, hovering midway between Venus and Arcturus. Its size and brightness exceeded my expectations and the comet was easily observed with the unaided eye around 8 pm MDT as I snapped a series of images using different lenses.

Despite the nearly full Moon, the comet was initially spotted with binoculars, and then it became an easy naked eye object.

An automobile zooms along Highway 128 on the right, the occupants of which have no idea of the astronomical spectacle they are missing. That’s the planet Venus shining brightly in the lower left of the frame.

Telephoto shot of comet nucleus and tail that stretches more than five degrees across the night sky.

Re-entering the Colorado Plateau...

after the summer’s absence via the San Rafael Swell. There’s no place like home.

Milky Way galaxy erupting a fountain of stars and nebulae, geyser-like from the rim of the Little Grand Canyon of the San Rafael River.

Sunrise from the Wedge Overlook, northern San Rafael Swell. Click on image to enlarginate.

The magnificent Buckhorn Wash pictograph panel. Click on image to embiggen.

The remote San Rafael River “Swinging Bridge” built 1935-1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Milky Way over Molas Pass...

in the high country of Colorado last night at 11,100 feet above sea level. It was certainly quite chilly around midnight when this image was captured.

Snowdon Peak (13,077 feet) and the Milky Way reflected in Little Molas Lake. Look closely above the galactic core and you’ll spy a short meteor trail.

The subalpine scene at sundown.

Bright aurora shine over southern Utah...

in an enormous geomagnetic storm this evening, the largest in nearly 20 years. Here are several wide views captured shortly after midnight of the rare (at this latitude) and dynamic light show. Behold the Aurora Borealis in its fullest expression.

The phenomenon began with quite a bit of color variation directly to the north. Parriott Mesa in silhouette on the right.

A gradual color shift towards orange and red occurred very slowly.

The brighter curtains of light moved gradually towards the northeast over a period of about an hour. Castleton Tower at far right.

UPDATE: Here’s a nice summary of the event by our local scribe: Aurora borealis brightens Castle Valley with a colorful display.

Castleton Tower casts a sharp shadow...

on the face of Adobe Mesa at sunset during this time of year. The shadow will slowly creep further westward (to the right) over the next two months when it will nearly align with the prominent prow on the summer solstice. The Tower is nature’s sundial, a natural time-keeping gnomon.

Today's partial solar eclipse...

as captured from Castle Valley, Utah. Peak eclipse occurs here at 12:32 pm MDT and the Sun’s orb will only be 58% obscured by the Moon.

Pre-eclipse Sun with several sunspots snapped at around 8:00 am MDT.

The big bite at the peak of the event for observers in southeast Utah. The Moon swallowed the sunspots.

The skies remained clear and an ice halo developed, and it got significantly chillier during the peak eclipse, seen here in a wide view.

The next total solar eclipse to transit North America will track through central Utah on 12 August 2045. Stay tuned.

A moody Moon rises...

behind the lower slopes of Castleton Tower this evening. This full Moon is variously known as the Full Snow Moon or the Full Hunger Moon since it appears shortly after the middle of winter.

A "Dark Sky Community"...

shows dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of outdoor lighting ordinances, engages in dark sky education, and enjoys citizen support of dark skies. Our tiny town of Castle Valley, Utah has finally been so designated by DarkSky International and the formal announcement will be forthcoming after the holidays.

The Milky Way above Adobe Mesa (left) and Castleton Tower, the Rectory and Priest and Nuns (right) as captured from Professor Valley in June 2021. (Click on image to enlarge.)

November's Beaver Moon...

rises behind, and nearly silhouettes, Castleton Tower at dusk this evening.

Click on image to embiggenate.

Twelve hours later, early the following morning, the full Beaver Moon sets behind Porcupine Rim.

This evening's waxing crescent Moon...

is five days old and 22 percent illuminated. The low angle lighting along the terminator brings out landform details not seen during the full phase.

Note the bright sunlit central peak in Theophilus crater at the edge of Mare Nectaris, a 2 km high feature rising from the flat crater floor.

The 2023 annular solar eclipse sequence...

as captured from Muley Point, Utah during the morning of 14 October. One can clearly see the advantage of being on the centerline for these rare and amazing events.

Multiple exposures of the eclipse event from sunrise to early afternoon on Saturday. Exposures were combined using StarStaX software, and even though several shots are missing from the sequence, I’m very pleased with the results.

The annular solar eclipse as captured by my filtered 400 mm telephoto lens, compiled in a composite shot with Adobe PhotoShop.

UPDATE: Both weekly newspapers in Moab are running these images. A photographic double-header!

The ultimate eclipse-viewing perch...

near the centerline was claimed at Muley Point on Tuesday by this determined correspondent, expecting other friends to join the camp later in the week. And indeed they did, and the astronomical show that followed on Saturday was grand.

Panorama from Muley Point, Utah at the southern end of Cedar Mesa, overlooking the San Juan River canyon and Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain, Arizona. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Our extraordinary perch at the edge of the escarpment. But watch that last step!

Happy eclipse viewers Saturday morning!

At work managing two cameras and a telescope during the several hour-long event under absolutely perfect weather conditions.

Optical projections of the partial eclipse phase on the ground, naturally filtered through the needles on a small pinyon pine tree.

The so-called “Ring of Fire” at near maximum annularity as seen on the back of my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a 400 mm telephoto lens with solar filter.

Monument Valley as dusk approaches as viewed from our eclipse camp.

There is nothing better than the warmth of a small fire and the company of good friends when camping in canyon country.

The Milky Way galaxy rising over the Navajo Indian Reservation from eclipse camp, the night before the big show.