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Tag Archives: milky way

Night Light

The stars put on a good show too. I had hoped to make a blue hour blend but the app I had in hand, gave me incorrect information. It said the Milky Way would rise over the lone pine tree looking west across the lake but that is not how it happened. It appeared almost due south instead. I started making images around 8:00 and continued til 11:00 pm when the Milky Way was getting dimmer and air glow was increasing. Still lovely. And I had a warm campfire I shared with Luna. Sky prefers to go to bed early.

I probably need lessons in learning the night sky apps. They are not intuitive for me. Most night sky photos you see are blends or composites well planned out with the help of an app. Maybe I am too spontaneous to ever use one effectively.

Out in the Dark

This week the Lyrid meteors are passing by us and I had hoped to make some photos of them. The weather, of course, made a turn for the worse with lots of wind and clouds before I went to bed so I wasn’t optimistic. I did wake up at 3:30 and stepped outside and one big shooting star fell through the atmosphere so I took that as a good sign. The wind was gone and the sky was mostly clear. I stayed out through the blue hour before dawn and enjoyed several meteors but they didn’t cross my camera’s point of view. Still, the stars were beautiful and the colors of the sky were amazing. Light clouds in the east reflected the sunlight even though the sun was far below the horizon.

If I have to be sheltered in place, this isn’t a bad place for it.

Social Distancing After Dark

In the wee morning hours, I went outside and tried to learn some new techniques. Let’s just say, I have a long ways to go. Still, I came back with some pretty pictures. I also need a new place to practice my night photography. I was looking forward to spring travels but now, all that is cancelled. We were supposed to go to Florida this Saturday and to Utah in May. I wonder when we will get a chance to see new, or old favorite, places again. Yes, I am feeling very sad but grateful for my health and grateful that I have my husband and two dogs to share my life. I hope all of you are well and taken care of.

I started and finished here
Neighbor’s house
Blue hour sneaks up on me.
A small plane took off from the airport during the blue hour before dawn.
I started and finished here

Dark Skies

It’s hard to find places with genuinely dark skies. I go out at night and try to point my camera away from all street lights and porch lights and security lights that dot our valley and hillsides.

Looking south, the glow from Twisp

 

I don’t know where the yellow glow behind Patterson Mountain comes from – Bellingham?

Is that a distant galaxy to the right of the tree?

 

Tiny Winthrop makes lots of light, perhaps a bit of Aurora too.

Two Hours at Washington Pass

Last night I spent two hours at Washington Pass with three other people practicing night photography. It’s still a work in progress for me with much to learn. It was a lovely night and hazy clouds came and went sometimes obscuring many of the stars or the Milky Way. We did get a little bit of the northern lights though.

Do you like dark night skies full of stars? Support efforts to preserve them like this one happening in our valley.

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