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.
with the waning crescent Moon as its companion the day before Independence Day.
in the notch where the Dolomite Spire and Lighthouse Tower stand high above Big Bend in the Colorado River upstream from Moab, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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!
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.
than five minutes late to the upcoming annular solar eclipse. I’m bugging out tomorrow for my remote and primitive eclipse camp on the centerline, high above Goosenecks State Park and the San Juan River in southeastern Utah, with commanding views to the south into Monument Valley in Arizona. Weather forecast models are somewhat conflicted about the weekend ahead, but I remain optimistic.
The annular eclipse as modeled by Photographer’s Ephemeris showing the conditions at my campsite.
Times listed here are Mountain Daylight Time, and only for my campsite location specifically.
General information: Eclipse America 2023
IMPORTANT: Appropriate eye protection must be used by everyone viewing all phases of this event regardless of location.
above Adobe Mesa this evening.
of cameras and telescopes as I continue to prepare for next month’s annular solar eclipse, experimenting with various manual exposure settings on two cameras and configuring a small refractor telescope for direct viewing. I’ll also create a time-lapse video of the event with a GoPro as well.
All of these instruments are outfitted with appropriate solar filters for direct viewing and/or photography of the Sun. IMPORTANT: Everyone will need appropriate eye protection for all phases of the eclipse, regardless of their location.
Today’s Sun captured by my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a Canon 400 mm telephoto lens and solar filter.
Image of today’s Sun from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory for comparison.
More information about the 14 October 2023 eclipse: Eclipse America 2023.
at 17.9 degrees away from the Sun, meaning it’s the best time to view the innermost planet before sunrise, while the Sun is still below the eastern horizon. Here is the tiny planet early this morning, rising above Adobe Mesa, with Venus shining more brightly overhead.
Heads up, the autumnal equinox is tomorrow. Bummer, I prefer longer days.
using a new solar filter, all in preparation for the annular solar eclipse in one month’s time. I’m very excited.
My image captured early this afternoon with a 400 mm telephoto lens with solar filter (ND 100000).
For comparison, here’s the daily image from spaceweather.com with sunspot numbers, acquired by the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
More about the quickly approaching 14 October 2023 annular solar eclipse: Eclipse America 2023. IMPORTANT: Proper eye protection must be used to observe all phases of this event.
under extremely dark skies during the new moon the Milky Way is nothing less than sensational.
My camp along Mexican Mountain Road in the northern San Rafael Swell. I estimated that the core of the Milky Way would rise between Window Blind Peak (left) and Assembly Hall Peak (right). That’s the San Rafael River near the center of the image.
Silhouetted selfie with the Milky Way. All alone. Sublime.
next to Bald Mountain, high in the western Uinta Mountains of Utah. This new moon is the last opportunity to enjoy the galactic center this season, as it will not rise above the horizon in the northern hemisphere until next spring.
Silhouette of Bald Mountain (11,943 foot (3,640 meters)) on the right.
A frosty sunrise at Mirror Lake (10,050 ft (3,060 m)) the following morning.
will traverse the southwestern United States in about two months time. I’m getting prepared for this rare and interesting astronomical event, the center line for which is a short distance south of Moab, Utah. I’ll be camping there with all my telescopic and photographic gear.
More information here: Eclipse America 2023.
Terrific zoomable map: Interactive Google Map showing center line.
IMPORTANT: All observers regardless of location will require appropriate eye protection to view this event!