Large Magellanic Cloud - Galapagos Night Landscape Astrophotography

Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of the symbol of the Southern Sky (especially for me northern-biased star gazer).  First time I saw Large Magellanic Cloud in Peru, couple of years ago, but it was too close to horizon. Finally, I got it!   This small white cloud on the right is not regular cloud, it is companion of our Milky Way, just 1/100 mass of our Galaxy. The position of the LMC can be recognized using Southern Cross. On Galapagos fantastic starry night sky, the LMC view was amazing!

Large Magellanic Cloud - Galapagos Night Landscape Astrophotography

Large Magellanic Cloud, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/4.0; ISO 6400.

Sky Ladder - Galapagos Nightscape Astrophotography

The Night Sky at Galapagos Islands is one of the best dark sky which I saw! The darkness of night sky based on Bortle scale was very close to Level 1 (Excellent dark-sky site): clouds are only visible as dark holes against the sky, airglow is readily visible. I did not see a lot of night photos at Galapagos in internet, but I think it will be a lot soon, it is really one more attraction on the islands.

Sky Ladder - Galapagos Nightscape Astrophotography

Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400. Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador, Nightscape Astrophotography.

Moonset - Galapagos Ecuador Astrophotography

After couple of days trips on Ecuador and Galapagos Islands when weather was cloudy and rainy (February is rain season) we got clear night sky.

I early went to sleep and wake up midnight to start astrophotography with Moonset. Photo was done on Isabela island on the beach of small city Puerto Villamil (less 2,000 people). There are about 100 meters to the main street. I was tied after day trips so it also was convenient to get this place. The other reason there are too many animals around so as minimum I able to see it.

Moonset - Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador Astrophotography

Moonset (not to be confused with sunset) Astrophotography. Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, 10.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400.

Tennessee Astrophotography - Great American Eclipse - Total Solar Eclipse August 21, 2017

"The Sun was eclipsed; it was all gone. 

It was like ink and without light. 

The stars were visible in the daytime."

-- Hyaku Rensho. (Total solar eclipse of August AD 975)

There are photos from our families expedition to T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains, Tennessee for Great American Total Eclipse August 21, 2017. In the Shadow of the Moon - 2 min 37 sec.

Solar Corona - Tellico Plains, Tennessee - Total Solar Eclipse 2017, New York City Expedition, photo by Igor Kuskovsky

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 August 21 Canon 60D  Tellico Plains, Tennessee, New York City Expedition, photo by Igor Kuskovsky

Diamond Ring Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Celestron Nexstar 4SE Astrophotography

Solar Corona Great USA Eclipse 2017 Celestron Nexstar 4SE Astrophotography

Solar Eclipse 2017 Aug 21 Dimond Ring and Solar Corona

Solar activity was pretty active (compare other days when no sunspots was visible). Three bright solar flares and couple of sunspot areas (Wolf Number about 66).

The Beginning of Total Solar Eclipse 2017, Aug 21 - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope, Celestron Nexstar 4SE Tripod, Canon 60Da Camera, Tennessee Astrophotography

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Telescope, Canon 60Da Camera, Solar Filter Spectrum Telescope ST525G, Tellico Plains, Tennessee Astrophotography

Telescope Nexstar 4SE Camera Canon 60Da Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Tennessee  Astrophotography

Temperature dropped about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (or 5 degrees Celsius) during the Totality. It was cold! Even small clouds disappeared around the sun, probably because of such temperature inside moon shadow.

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Black and White T-Lea Farm Tellico Plains Tennessee Astrophotography

Tennessee Astrophotography - Great Total Solar Eclipse 2017, T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains

Great American Eclipse August 21 2017 Celestron 4SE

Tennessee Astrophotography - At night before the Solar Eclipse - Milky Way - T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains

Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017, August 21 - Tellico Plains, Tennessee

"Whenever we want to watch an eclipse of the Sun 

we set out basins filled with oil or pitch, 

because the heavy liquid is not easily disturbed 

and so preserves the images it receives."

-- Seneca (Roman, 1st century AD)

There are some some photos which I did before solar eclipse, just for testing,  Canon 60Da,  Celestron Nexstar 4SE, Coronado SolarMax II 60.

Waiting Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Canon 60Da

Cloudy Sun - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

H Alpha Sun - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

Single Sunspot Astrophotography - Celestron 4SE Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017

Perfect Sun without Sunspots - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Canon 60Da - Testing for Solar Eclipse 2017 

South Carolina Astrophotography

There are astrophotos from my trip to South Carolina. Canon 60Da,  Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens.  Hilton Had Island, South Carolina.

South Carolina Astrophotography Starry Sky Lifeguard Station

Palm Trees and Night Sky South Carolina Astrophotography

Color Night Waves and Night Sky Astrophotography South Carolina

Ocean Sky Astrophotography - South Carolina

Hilton Had Island Ocean Sky Astrophotography South Carolina

Sweden Astrophotography - Northern Lights Kiruna Lapland

The sight filled the northern sky; the immensity of it was scarcely conceivable. 

As if from Heaven itself, great curtains of delicate light hung and trembled. 

Pale green and rose-pink, and as transparent as the most fragile fabric, 

and at the bottom edge a profound fiery crimson like the fires of Hell, 

they swung and shimmered loosely with more grace than the most skillful dancer.

-- PHILIP PULLMAN, The Golden Compass

How grand minimum of solar activity affect the Northern Light? I hope not so much and the Northern Light still will be visible during the grand minimum, but who knows 100%? So hurry up to see it now! Kiruna  Lapland Sweden Astrophotography - Canon 60Da, Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens.

Sweden Astrophotography  Northern Lights

Sweden Astrophotography Aurora Borealis

Kiruna Lappland Northern Lights - Sweden Astrophotography

Cross Ski Trail Sign and Northern Lights - Kiruma Lappland Astrophotography

Panorama Northern Lights - Sweden Astrophotography Kiruna Lapland

See also Northern Lights Iceland Astrophotography

Los Angeles Astrophotography California

"Man's sense of values ought to be revised. 

If all mankind could look through that telescope, 

it would change the world!"

-- Griffith J. Griffith

There are some night astronomical photos from my trip to Los Angeles, California.

Ironically, the Griffith Observatory is closing at night  :( so don’t have a lot of time to made photos. There is iconic view to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Astrophotography night view from the Griffith Observatory California

Los Angels city skyline at night Griffith Observatory Astrophotography

Griffith Observatory at night, Los Angeles, CA

Night City Light pollution Hollywood

iOptron Skytracker and Deep Sky Astrophotography

“By looking far out into space 

we are also looking far back into time, 

back toward the horizon of the universe, 

back toward the epoch of the Big Bang.” 

― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

The deep sky astrophotography can be done without telescope. You just need iOptron Skytracker. There are some photos which were done using iOptron Skytracker. Some of these photos done even in New York city with very high level of light pollution.

iOptron SkyTracker Canon 60Da Deep Sky Astrophotography Orion Nebula M42  New York City

 Canon 60Da, Canon  EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens;  f/2.8; ISO 320; Exposure 15sec x 204 - Total 51 min, Brooklyn NY

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography without Telescope - Horsehead and Flame Nebulae - New York City

Canon 60Da with Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Telephoto Lens and iOptron SkyTracker tripod.Exposure 10sec x 148 - about 25 min total. ISO-800, f/3.2

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Pleiades M45 Seven Sisters Melotte 22 with Canon EF 200mm Telephoto Lens

Canon 60Da, iOptron skytracker, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 30 images x 20 sec, Upstate New York

Deep Sky Astrophotography iOptron Skytracker  Andromeda Galaxy Messier 31 Canon EF 200mm Telescopic Lens

Andromeda Galaxy Messier 31 Deep Sky Astrophotography iOptron Skytracker

Canon 60Da, Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM lens, iOptron SkyTracker trypod, ISO-6400, f/4, stacked in DeepSkyStacker 215 images x 19 sec, Upstate NY

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Northern America and Pelican Nebula

Canon 60Da, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 29 images x 20 sec, New York upstate

iOptron Skytracker Deep Sky Astrophotography Milky Way and  Orion at Culebra Island

Canon 60Da, Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens, F/4.0, ISO 3200, 2 min, Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

Arches National Park Astrophotography

I continue my Astrophotography tourism to compare Night Sky from different places of the word. The constellations are the same but it looks different in other locations. These photos from my trip to Arches National Park. There are about 2,000 arches in the park! And a lot of other amazing landscapes! Even during a day, it looks absolutely unreal. But at night is fantastic and amazing! Looks like you on the other planet! The sky in the Arches is truly dark and during new moon you can easy to see Airglow! And on the photo sky is astonishing colorful with greenish reddish and other spectrum colors. All this creates amazing night landscape photos. Really Arches National Park is one of the top 10 best places for astrophotography and night landscaping photos!

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 20.0 sec; f/3.5; ISO 6400 - panorama of 40 images.

Arching Milky Way - Arches Astrophotography 

Sailing Milky Way. We are traveling together on a little spaceship. We call this ship the Earth. It sailing Milky Way through the space-time. This photo is just illustration of this Spaceship Earth idea. Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400 - panorama 5 images

Sail Milky Way over Park Avenue at Arches National Park Astrophotography

 Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

Stairway to Heaven Arches - National Park Astrophotography Night landscape

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

Balanced Rock and Milky Way - Arches Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

Airglow and Balanced Rock - Arches NP Astrophotography

And finally there are photos of arches.

"Smoking gun" - Turret Arch and Milky Way :) I think on this picture we see evidence of ... Big Bang :) Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400 - Panorama 5 images

Turret Arch and Milky Way - Arches National Park Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400 - Panorama 5 images

North and South Windows Arches and Starry Sky - Arches National Park Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

Double Arch and Milky Way - Arches National Park Night Landscape Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400 - panorama of two photos

Rainbow Milky Way over Double Arch Panorama Astrophotography