Astrophotography Blog: Bethel

Showing posts with label Bethel. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Milky Way Rainbow Panorama Canon EOS Ra over Bethel Catskill NY

This image captures a full arch of our galaxy — often called the Milky Way Rainbow. It is my first full-sky panorama of the Milky Way made with the Canon EOS Ra, and another step in testing the camera’s impressive astrophotography performance.

The Canon Ra handles high ISO extremely well, producing low-noise results even at ISO 20,000. Using short 5-second exposures helped avoid star trailing and made the 20-shot panorama quick to capture. A dedicated contrast-enhancing filter helped bring out the structure of the Milky Way, and the final image was created by stitching all frames together in Photoshop.

The foreground shows tall grass with a line of forest farther in the distance. A bit of light behind the camera softly illuminates the landscape, creating depth and atmosphere while preserving the natural nighttime look. Above the scene, the Milky Way forms a complete glowing arch across the sky — a true “rainbow” of our galaxy rising over Bethel and the Catskill region of New York.

Milky Way Rainbow Panorama Canon EOS Ra over Bethel Catskill NY - Astrophotography

Technical details:
Canon EOS Ra • EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM • f/2.8 • 5 seconds • ISO 20,000
Panorama of 20 photos

About the Catskill Region

The Catskill Mountains, located in southeastern New York State, are known for their rugged forests, hiking trails, wildlife, and the protected Catskill Forest Preserve. The area offers some of the darker skies in the region, making it an excellent place for landscape astrophotography.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Canon Ra Panorama Milky Way Toronto Reservoir Bethel, NY

This is one of my early large-format panoramas taken with the Canon EOS Ra. Previous posts featured single exposures, but here I captured a classic wide-field Milky Way panorama composed of 10 separate images, stitched together to reveal far more detail and structure in the galactic core.

The photo was taken at Toronto Reservoir in Bethel, New York, a quiet and scenic area located about 7.7 miles from Monticello in Sullivan County. The reservoir sits in a relatively dark region compared to NYC, making it a great location for astrophotography when the sky is clear.

In the photo you can clearly see the calm surface of the Toronto Reservoir, framed by the dark silhouettes of trees along the shoreline. The water reflects the trees and several bright stars, creating a peaceful mirrored foreground. Above it, the Milky Way stretches like a river in the sky, while the reservoir becomes the river on Earth — both flowing in parallel. A portion of the Galactic Center is also visible, adding extra detail and structure to the panorama.

Canon EOS Ra Milky Way Panorama over Toronto Reservoir, Bethel NY

Canon EOS Ra Panorama Milky Way Toronto Reservoir Bethel, NY

Technical details:
Canon EOS Ra • EF16–35mm f/2.8L II USM • f/2.8 • ISO 6400
Panorama of 10 images, each 8 seconds

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

The comet NEOWISE reflecting in Wesserlauf Pond, Bethel, New York

Comets are like cats: they have tails,

and they do precisely what they want.

- David H. Levy

This photo captures Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) beautifully reflected in Wesserlauf Pond in Bethel, New York. Both the comet itself and its water reflection were visible to the naked eye that night.

On the image, you can see the comet’s bright nucleus, its long tail stretching upward across the sky, and the clear reflection of both the comet and surrounding trees in the pond. The stars are also visible in the water, creating a peaceful double-sky effect.

The comet shows two tails on the photo: the wider yellow-white dust tail and the thinner blue ion tail, which is usually invisible to the human eye but captured nicely by the camera’s sensor. To reduce noise, I used DeNoise AI during processing.

Comet NEOWISE reflected in Wesserlauf Pond, Bethel NY – Canon Ra nightscape

The comet NEOWISE reflecting in Wesserlauf Pond, Bethel, New York

Technical details:
Wesserlauf Pond, Bethel NY • Canon EOS Ra • EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
f/2.8 • 12.5 seconds • ISO 16,000

About Comet NEOWISE

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered on March 27, 2020 by NASA’s NEOWISE space telescope. In July 2020 it became one of the brightest naked-eye comets visible from the northern hemisphere in more than two decades.

NEOWISE displayed a dramatic dust tail and a faint blue ion tail, making it a rare and unforgettable astronomical event enjoyed by millions around the world.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) Canon Ra Bethel, New York

We are hit by tons of material every day, but it is all dust.

We are all walking around with comet dust in our hair.

- Don Yeomans

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) became one of the brightest comets visible in the northern hemisphere since Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997. On July 17, 2020, it was bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, even from moderately light-polluted locations.

This image was taken in Bethel, New York using the Canon EOS Ra with a 200mm f/2.8 lens. The photograph clearly shows the comet’s bright nucleus and its beautiful dual tail structure — the wider dust tail and the thinner, straighter ion tail extending upward across the frame.

Comet NEOWISE C/2020 F3 with dual tails photographed in Bethel NY using Canon EOS Ra

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) Canon Ra Bethel, New York

Technical details:
Canon EOS Ra • EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM • f/2.8 • ISO 40,000 • 2.5-second exposure

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Green Fireflies Night Landscape Bethel New York Canon Ra

Summer in New York brings one of nature’s most magical night displays — the glowing dance of fireflies. On this warm July night in Bethel, New York, the woods were alive with thousands of green light trails flickering under a crystal-clear, starry sky.

This image is a time-lapse composite created from multiple short exposures taken with the Canon EOS Ra astro-modded camera. The combination of fireflies and a quiet summer landscape creates a peaceful yet vibrant nighttime scene.

Green fireflies glowing under a starry summer sky in Bethel, New York — long-exposure composite captured with Canon EOS Ra astrophotography camera.

Green Fireflies Night Landscape Bethel New York Canon Ra

Camera & Exposure Settings

Camera: Canon EOS Ra
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 12,800
Exposure: Composite of 30 images (3 seconds each)

The astrophotography-optimized sensor of the Canon Ra helps capture subtle green trails of the fireflies while preserving faint stars above. Stacking multiple short exposures reduces noise and reveals a fuller picture of their delicate light patterns as they move through the summer air.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Canon Ra Reflection Night Landscape Bethel, Sullivan County, New York Astrophotography

I continue testing my new Canon EOS Ra astrophotography camera. There is nothing quite like a starry, quiet summer night — the Milky Way moving slowly across the sky while the landscape glows softly beneath it.

This photo was taken in Bethel, Sullivan County, New York, an area that became world-famous in 1969 when nearly 500,000 people gathered on Max Yasgur’s Farm for the legendary Woodstock Festival. Today, the region is peaceful, rural, and surprisingly good for astrophotography.

In the image you can see a small local pond reflecting the surrounding trees and several bright stars. Even though it was nighttime, the landscape appears illuminated enough to reveal the details of the trees and water — the only sign that it is truly night is the Milky Way arching above. This is a simple one-shot exposure, but it carries a calm atmosphere that reminds me of childhood fairy-tale stories.