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

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

Green Sky Utah Airglow Astrophotography Canon 60Da

The sky is green, the night is dark - as simple as possible. This photo was done at Bryce Canyon, Utah. Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/3.5; ISO 6400

Green Sky Utah Airglow Astrophotography Canon 60Da

The natural moonless night sky is dark but not black; it is not even blue (no scattering light from sun and moon). Earth atmosphere  emits green, red, orange, yellow light- Airglow!

About 60% of the natural brightness of the night sky at zenith is made up of Airglow. Maximum brightest usually appears at about 10-15 degrees above the horizon, because of the greater the depth of atmosphere at this angle. Airglow is not always uniform. Gravity waves may create considerable variation of Airglow brightness.

You can see Airglow only in real dark sky, but naked eye could not recognize colors. Photos with long exposure able get the colors of Airglow.

The usually dominant color of airglow is green originated from molecular oxygen at 90 to 100 km high. Orange and reddish hue caused by atomic oxygen in 150-300 km above the ground, Yellow light comes from sodium atoms in a layer at about 90 km.

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Catskill Mountains Upstate NY New York

Now I know where the Milky Way comes from.
Canon 60Da, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Exposure time 9 sec, F2.8, ISO 12800

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Catskill mountains

Canon 60Da, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Exposure time 15 sec, F2.8, ISO 12800

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Upstate NY New York

Mystic Seaport Connecticut - Astrophotography Landscape Tourism

I like to get my camera and tripod to my vacation, find dark place and make photo of night sky.  I don’t know exactly how to call it hobby – probably astrophotography night landscape tourism. These are photos from Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. 

Mystic Seaport Astrophotography - Night tree - Canon 40D, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Mystic Seaport - night view

Night Sky Mystic Seaport Astrophotography

Astrophotography Night Landscape Mystic Seaport Connecticut

Astrophotography Landscape Mystic Seaport Connecticut

Starry Night Mystic Seaport Astronomy

Seaport Mystic Bridge at night

Mystic seaport nightscape Connecticute - Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

Astrophotography Nightscape Connecticut Mystic Seaport