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| Milky Way over lake and star reflection Canon 60Da Astrophotography panorama |
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| Star reflection over lake |
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| Milky Way |
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| Wide Field Milky Way over Lake Canon 60Da |
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| Milky Way looming over NY Canon 60Da Wide Field Astrophotography |
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| Milky Way looming over Fireman lake Rock Hill New York |
This star trail image was captured in Upstate New York using a fixed tripod and a series of long exposures. Unlike minimalist nightscapes, star trail astrophotography requires significantly more post-processing. By stacking multiple exposures, it allows the motion of the stars — the rotation of the sky — to become visible.
Canon EOS 60Da, Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Fixed tripod, dew heater
37 images · 2 minutes each · ISO 400 · f/4.0
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| Canon 60Da Star Trail Astrophotography - Upstate New York |
Instead of a single very long exposure, this image was created by stacking multiple shorter exposures. A single exposure of this total duration would have been far too bright and noisy. To combine the frames, I used StarStax, followed by additional processing in Photoshop.
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| StarStax — stacking multiple exposures into star trails |
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| StarSpikes Pro for Startrails |
From this image, it is easy to see that the stars rotate in a counterclockwise direction. This naturally raises an interesting question.
Why do the stars rotate counterclockwise, while the hands of a clock move clockwise?
The answer is astronomical — but not in an obvious way. To understand it, we have to look at history. Mechanical clocks were designed to follow the motion of a sundial, but not the motion of the Sun itself. They follow the direction of the shadow cast by the Sun, which moves in the opposite direction to the apparent rotation of the night sky.
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| Sundial at Lowell Observatory — mechanical clocks inherited their direction from the motion of the Sun’s shadow |
In other words, when we look at a clock, we are not “following the Sun” — we are following the shadow of the Sun.
This is why I like astrophotography. Even a technically complex image can lead to unexpected questions — about time, history, human conventions, and how we learned to measure the world.
“The photograph comes first; the philosophy follows — as a way to understand what the image revealed.”
This star trail image connects both technical exploration of the Canon 60Da and a broader philosophical approach to astrophotography — where images lead to questions about time, motion, and meaning.
During my early tests with the Canon EOS 60Da in the Catskill Mountains, I captured two very simple single-frame Milky Way images. Both were taken with the Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM using only a fixed tripod. Even without stacking, the 60Da immediately revealed more detail and sensitivity than my older Canon 40D.
These photos became some of my favorite early 60Da shots—minimalistic, quiet, and very natural-looking. Sometimes a single exposure tells the story better than a complex stacked image.
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| Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Catskill mountains |
This first image became unintentionally philosophical. In the lower part of the frame you can see the roof of the bungalow where we stayed in the Catskills. Just above it, the Milky Way rises perfectly—almost as if it starts right from the roof. A small tree is visible on the bottom-right, and the entire scene is extremely minimalistic.
Camera settings were: 9 sec, f/2.8, ISO 12800 using the Canon 60Da and an ultra-wide 16–35mm lens.
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| Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Upstate NY New York |
The second image shows a large tree in silhouette with the Milky Way rising directly above it. Another very simple and minimalistic frame. It beautifully demonstrates how much more detail the Canon 60Da can capture compared to the older Canon 40D—more stars, better color, and higher contrast in the Milky Way core.
This exposure was slightly longer: 15 sec, Canon EOS 60Da, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, F2.8, ISO 12800.
These two early Canon 60Da images became part of two small “visual stories” in my astrophotography. The first story is about the question “Where does the Milky Way come from?” — in the Catskills it seems to rise straight from the roof of our bungalow, and later in Yellowstone it appears to rise from the Old Faithful geyser. Two completely different landscapes, but the same cosmic river flowing upward.
The second story is about trees and stars. The tree in this Catskills image became the first part of a theme I continued years later in Bethel, New York — capturing another tree under the Milky Way and reflecting on the idea that we have more trees on Earth than stars in our galaxy. A simple comparison, but very beautiful in astrophotography.
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| Star Trails Canon 40D. 6 images 10 min each, Stack in StarStax. Photohop: Levels, Curve, Shadow Filter Color, Un-sharp mask, Despeckle |
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| Color Star Trails, Canon 40D, Total Time about 1 hour, Stack in StarStax |
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| Star Trail Astrophotography Canon 60Da - Catskills |
