Astrophotography Blog: October 2016

Monday, October 24, 2016

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

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

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

Monday, October 17, 2016

Balanced Rock Arches National Park Utah Night Landscape Astrophotography

Balanced Rock is one of the most famous examples of natural erosion in Arches National Park. Even in daylight it looks unbelievable — a massive boulder balancing on a narrow pedestal of rock. But at night, under the Milky Way, it becomes absolutely magical.

These photos were taken during my trip to Arches National Park. The combination of Balanced Rock, the bright summer Milky Way, dramatic clouds, and natural airglow created a truly unforgettable nightscape.

Canon 60Da • EF16–35mm f/2.8L II USM • 25 sec • f/2.8 • ISO 6400

Balanced Rock under the Milky Way at Arches National Park — night landscape astrophotography with Canon 60Da

Balanced Rock and Milky Way Arches National Park Utah Night Landscape Astrophotography

Balanced Rock, the Milky Way, and the “drama” of clouds moving across the sky all come together in this first image. I added a small amount of light to the Rock itself, allowing its details to be visible without overwhelming the natural night sky.

What makes this scene even more special is the presence of airglow — faint natural light produced by Earth’s upper atmosphere. A moonless night sky is dark, but not black; it shines in subtle green, red, yellow, and orange tones created by atmospheric atoms and molecules.

This is one of the many reasons Arches National Park is one of the best places on Earth for nightscape astrophotography.

Canon 60Da • EF16–35mm f/2.8L II USM • 25 sec • f/2.8 • ISO 6400

Balanced Rock silhouette with bright airglow — Arches National Park night sky photography

Airglow and Balanced Rock - Arches National Park Utah Night Landscape Astrophotography

This second photo is a silhouette of Balanced Rock illuminated only by natural sky light — no artificial lighting at all. Here the airglow is even stronger, painting the horizon with soft green and yellow tones. The dark clouds appear almost black because there is no light pollution and no moonlight — the images were taken during new moon, one of my favorite astrophotography techniques.

Balanced Rock already looks surreal in daylight, but at night — combined with the Milky Way, airglow, dark clouds, and the silent desert around it — it becomes a truly fantastic natural sculpture.

Different types of the Milky Way Night Landscape - Stair Sail and Arch

Let me introduce a new (and completely humorous!) classification of the Milky Way. No, I am not serious — there is only one Milky Way galaxy — but give me a chance! Just look at the collage below: three very different shapes of the galactic core captured in a single night.

I call them the Stair, the Sail, and the Arch Milky Way. All three photos were taken in the same location — Park Avenue, Arches National Park — during the same night. Only small changes in viewpoint and composition, yet the Milky Way looks completely different!

This is part of my light-hearted series Astronomical Jokes, where I play with perspective and imagination. People love to classify everything they see, and sometimes those classifications become fun in themselves.

As the astronomer Olin Eggen playfully said:
“Classification is a tool for understanding — and occasionally for amusement.”
And the statistician George Box famously reminded us:
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.”
My “Milky Way types” are definitely wrong — but they are useful for a smile.

Collage of humorous Milky Way classifications — Stair, Sail, and Arch — photographed at Park Avenue, Arches National Park.

Different types of the Milky Way Night Landscape Astrophotography - Stair Sail and Arch

This collage shows how dramatically the Milky Way’s appearance changes depending on camera angle, foreground, and the rising position of the galactic core. Even though the galaxy is constant, our perspective makes it look like different “types.”

I hope this light-hearted classification brings a smile — and perhaps inspires you to try your own creative Milky Way “types” on the next clear night!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Arching Milky Way over Arches National Park Utah Astrophotography

Arches National Park is a true paradise for landscape astrophotography. The combination of towering red-rock formations, dramatic canyons, and some of the darkest skies in the continental United States creates endless opportunities for unique night-sky compositions. Every viewpoint in the park feels different, and each photograph becomes a blend of geology, astronomy, and adventure.

Among the many locations inside Arches, Park Avenue stands out as one of the most dramatic natural corridors in the Southwest. Its massive sandstone walls rise like ancient monuments, making it a perfect frame for the sweeping arc of the Milky Way.

The Milky Way Over Park Avenue

The towering sandstone walls rise like a mountain in the center of the frame, creating a dramatic canyon passage. Above them, the rainbow-colored arc of the Milky Way stretches gracefully across the sky, with soft reds, greens, and blues blending together. A gentle background glow illuminates the tops of the rock formations, adding depth and highlighting the rugged desert texture without overpowering the night sky.

Arching Milky Way over Park Avenue, Arches National Park – Utah Astrophotography

Arching Milky Way over Park Avenue at Arches National Park - Utah Astrophotography

How This Panorama Was Created

This final image is a 40-shot panorama. Each individual frame was captured using:

Camera: Canon 60Da
Lens: Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure: 20 seconds
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 6400

The entire sequence took approximately one hour to shoot from start to finish. Afterward, all 40 frames were stitched together in Adobe Photoshop to create the seamless, wide-field view of the Milky Way arching above the canyon walls.

Clear nights in Arches National Park are unforgettable, and capturing the Milky Way above these towering red-rock cliffs remains one of my favorite astrophotography experiences.