This is the first in a series taken on a week-long adventure starting with the ALCON conference at Bryce Canyon National Park, the moving to Red Canyon, Zion National Park, and finally Death Valley National Park. What could be more disappointing that gathering 400+ amateur astronomers in one of the darkest locations in the continental US only to have a huge storm pass overhead. Thankfully this storm had come and gone by the time night rolled around, but it still gave quite a show during astronomical twilight - a period of time when the sun is between 12 and 18 degrees BELOW the horizon. To the human eye, this is the time of night where a lot of stars start to make their appearance and the sky begins to turn to black. However, to a camera, this is the time where the sky appears a brilliant shade of blue, the stars shine bright, and the glow of the Milky Way can be seen. On this moon-less night, that is exactly the case. The intense thunderstorm was captured during astronomical twilight, leaving a calm view of the Milky Way in its wake. Just as the storm was passing by, one more object streaked across the sky - an Iridium Flare. Location: Piracy Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT Date: 2011-06-29 Camera: Canon XSi (modified) Lens: Sigma 20mm f/1.8 Mount: Still Tripod, Astrotrac Landscape/Clouds: 11x30 seconds f/2.8 ISO 1600 Milky Way: 10x2 minutes f/2.8 ISO 1600 Lightning: 8x10 seconds f/2.8 ISO 1600 Flare: 1x30 seconds f/2.8 ISO 1600 Processing: Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise 5
This was taken from the side of the road leading to the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park. Edit: I have been told this is Tin Mountain (8,974'). Location: Death Valley, CA Date: 2011-07-04 Camera: Canon XSi (modified) Mount: Still Tripod Lens: Sigma 20mm f/1.8 Shot: Mosaic 36x30 second f/1.8 ISO 1600 Processing: Photoshop, Topaz
Here is another image from my weeklong trip around the National Parks. This one was taken in Zion National Park on the not-so-popular west side of the park at a place called Kolob Canyons. This image is another example of imaging during twilight. The foreground was captured during nautical twilight while most of the sky was captured at the end of astronomical twilight/beginning of night. Location: Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, UT Date: 2011-07-03 Camera: Canon XSi (modified) Lens: Sigma 20mm f/1.8 Mount: Still Tripod, Astrotrac Landscape: 17x20 seconds f/4 ISO 400 (Mosaic) Sky: 26x120 seconds f/4 ISO 1600 (Mosaic) Processing: Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise 5
