A significant dusting of snow...

dresses the high country in the La Sal Mountains in the wake of the first real winter storm of the season, with thee to six inches of accumulation being reported at the SNOTEL sites. It will be interesting to see what this winter brings after last year’s record breaker.

Click on image to enlarginate.

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.

I'd rather be five days early...

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.

A kinematic triptych...

of large, metal wind-driven sculptures are now spinning and twirling at my red rock retreat. I have long admired the beauty of Lyman Whitaker’s wind sculptures and decided to indulge myself. They’re mesmerizing and hypnotic objects of art as they silently rotate on multiple axes! Put simply, they’re lovely to watch in motion and they bring me great joy.

Double Spinner, Lotus and Double Helix, left to right.

A very unusual casing...

has been constructed by bees and consists of a hard shell of sand grains cemented together by a waxy substance. I haven’t been very successful finding anything in the literature about this, and I will keep a watchful eye, especially next spring.

Cemented sand grains forming a casing, 2 x 3 cm in dimension, built and maintained by bees. The bee seen here is approximately 5 mm long.

Here’s a brighter macro shot with scale taken the following day of this amazing casing. It is located on the southern side of a small boulder in the rock garden, so it will be exposed to full sun through the winter.

UPDATE: Thanks to Dr. Harlan Gough for suggesting that this sandy cell has been constructed by a bee belonging to genus Dianthidium, or pebble bees.

Testing my optical armada...

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.

Huge heaps of praise...

go to the Grand County Road Department for a job well done eradicating graffiti on the Castleton Road bridge over Castle Creek earlier this year. I alerted them to the offensive tagging in May via email, and much to my surprise the director responded within hours asking for more information. He additionally followed up with another email in July informing me that the graffiti had been painted over. On behalf of all Castle Valley residents that enjoy this beautiful place, THANKS!

May 2023

September 2023

Mercury at its greatest western elongation...

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.