Green Airglow Through Thin Clouds – Swain, New York

Green airglow shining through thin atmospheric clouds in the night sky near Swain, New York on August 15, 2026. Canon EOS Ra, EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II at 16 mm, f/2.8, ISO 40000, 25 seconds.

On the night of August 15, 2026, near Swain in western New York, I was photographing the night sky with my Canon EOS Ra. The sky was dark enough that a noticeable green color from atmospheric airglow was visible across much of the photograph.

What caught my attention was not only the green sky, but also the thin atmospheric clouds crossing parts of the frame. Stars remain clearly visible through them, showing that these clouds were optically thin.

Most of the thin clouds lie outside the brightest part of the Milky Way and appear greenish against the strong green airglow background. Small portions that cross the Milky Way appear somewhat warmer or more reddish. The effect is subtle, but it raises an interesting question: why can thin clouds appear green at night?

Green Airglow High Above the Clouds

The green night airglow is produced mainly by atomic oxygen emitting at a wavelength of 557.7 nm. The strongest part of this emission comes from Earth's upper atmosphere at roughly 90–100 km altitude, far above ordinary weather and tropospheric clouds.

The atmospheric clouds in these photographs are much lower. Because they are thin enough for stars to remain clearly visible, a significant part of the green airglow coming from above and behind them can simply pass through the cloud layer.

The clouds can also scatter some of the surrounding light. However, scattering by cloud droplets and ice crystals is different from the Rayleigh scattering by molecules that makes the daytime sky blue. Cloud particles are much larger and their scattering is considerably less selective by wavelength, so a thin cloud can retain much of the color of the illumination and sky background around it.

Different from Light-Polluted Clouds

This appearance is very different from the clouds we commonly see near cities. Under a light-polluted sky, clouds can become white, yellow, or orange because they reflect artificial light coming upward from the ground. Thick clouds may become much brighter than the clear sky, while stars behind them disappear completely.

Here the situation is almost the opposite. The clouds are faint and transparent, stars remain visible through them, and much of the observed color appears to come from the natural night-sky background rather than from strong artificial illumination below.

There is another subtle detail in the main photograph. Where the background sky is dominated by green airglow, the transparent clouds appear greenish. Near some of the more reddish regions of the Milky Way, their color also seems to shift slightly toward warmer tones.

The Canon EOS Ra has enhanced sensitivity to red astronomical emission, particularly around the H-alpha wavelength at 656.3 nm, so reddish emission regions along the Milky Way can be recorded more strongly than with a standard digital camera.

Why This Effect Is Easy to Overlook

Greenish atmospheric clouds are not necessarily rare in night-sky photographs, but the effect is easy to overlook. In many astrophotographs the green color is simply described as airglow, while the clouds themselves are treated as an unrelated foreground or atmospheric feature.

The important distinction is that the clouds are not producing airglow. The green emission originates much higher in Earth's atmosphere, while ordinary weather clouds are far below it. When those clouds are optically thin, part of the green airglow remains visible through them, and the cloud-covered part of the sky can therefore appear greenish in the photograph.

This can easily be confused with several other effects: light pollution reflected from clouds, aurora, camera white-balance shifts, or simply aggressive color processing. The most useful clue is that stars remain visible through the clouds, showing that the cloud layer is transparent enough for the background sky emission to pass through.

For this reason, I think the effect is probably photographed more often than it is discussed. What makes this Swain observation especially useful is the combination of strong green airglow, a dark sky and thin atmospheric clouds, which makes the relationship between the airglow and the cloud color easier to see.

The Effect Was Visible Even in a 2.4-Second Exposure

A 2.4-second exposure showing green airglow and thin transparent atmospheric clouds with stars visible through them near Swain, New York on August 15, 2026.

Earlier that night, I took this 2.4-second exposure. Despite the very short exposure time, the green background and greenish transparent clouds are already visible, although the Milky Way and faint cloud structure are less detailed than in the 25-second photograph.

I find this short exposure especially interesting because it shows that the green airglow was strong enough to be recorded in only 2.4 seconds. The later 25-second exposure collected much more light and reveals the airglow, Milky Way and thin cloud structure in considerably greater detail.

A Similar Example from Colorado

A very interesting comparison was photographed by Aaron Watson of Skies-Alive Photography near Paonia, Colorado, on May 21, 2025. His photograph, Emerald Green Airglow with Orange Clouds, shows strong green airglow together with clearly visible atmospheric clouds.

The photograph is especially useful for comparison because the clouds near the horizon are orange from artificial skyglow, while the atmosphere behind and above them shows strong green airglow. It demonstrates that airglow can still be visible even when some light pollution is present near the horizon.

My Swain photographs show a different case. The atmospheric clouds are much thinner and more transparent, with stars clearly visible through them. Most of these clouds appear greenish where they are seen against the green airglow background, while small portions crossing the more reddish Milky Way show slightly warmer tones.

Together, the two observations show that the appearance of nighttime clouds depends not only on the clouds themselves, but also on the light coming from different directions. Artificial light from below can make clouds orange or yellow, while natural airglow high above them can create a green background that remains visible through sufficiently thin clouds.

Airglow Is Not Aurora

A green night sky can easily be mistaken for aurora in photographs, but airglow is a different phenomenon. Aurora is produced mainly when energetic charged particles interact with Earth's upper atmosphere and is strongly connected with geomagnetic activity. Airglow, on the other hand, is present even during quiet geomagnetic conditions and is continuously produced by chemical and physical processes in the upper atmosphere.

The intensity of airglow can vary considerably from night to night and across different parts of the sky. Atmospheric tides, gravity waves, changes in temperature and density, and changes in the distribution of atomic oxygen around the mesopause can all affect the brightness and structure of the green 557.7 nm emission.

This is an important reminder that a genuinely dark night sky is not necessarily black. Under good conditions, a camera can reveal green, reddish and other faint emissions produced by Earth's own atmosphere.

Photography Settings

Main photograph:
Camera: Canon EOS Ra
Lens: Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal length: 16 mm
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 40000
Exposure: 25 seconds
Date: August 15, 2026
Location: Near Swain, New York

Short test photograph:
Camera: Canon EOS Ra
Lens: Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure: 2.4 seconds
Date: August 15, 2026
Location: Near Swain, New York

A Dark Sky Reveals Its Own Color

The area near Swain has a very good dark sky for New York State. According to the Light Pollution Map, this location is approximately between Bortle Classes 3 and 4. However, light-pollution maps should be considered an estimate rather than an exact measurement of what an observer will experience on a particular night. Actual sky quality also depends on atmospheric transparency, humidity, aerosols, nearby lights, the time of night and even the surrounding terrain.

Local geography can sometimes create a significantly darker pocket than a large-scale map might suggest. I experienced a good example at Sand Beach in Acadia National Park, Maine. The beach is only about 290 yards long, but the combination of a dark open-ocean horizon and surrounding mountains that shield light from populated areas creates an unusually dark observing location. Only a few miles away, where that terrain shielding disappears, light pollution becomes more noticeable.

One of my own practical indicators of an excellent astrophotography sky is visible airglow. In the original Bortle scale, readily apparent airglow is one of the characteristics of a Class 1 sky. A camera, however, is much more sensitive than the human eye and can record airglow under skies that would not visually qualify as Bortle Class 1.

The strong green airglow near the zenith in these Swain photographs can therefore have several explanations working together. The site was genuinely dark, photo at ISO 40000 was sensitive enough to reveal very faint atmospheric emission, and the green airglow itself may simply have been stronger than average that night because airglow intensity naturally changes with conditions in the upper atmosphere.

For me, this is one reason airglow is such an interesting practical indicator of sky quality. A light-pollution map provides a useful prediction, but the photograph records what the sky was actually doing at that location and at that moment. When natural green or reddish atmospheric emission becomes clearly visible instead of being overwhelmed by artificial skyglow, I know I am photographing under a genuinely good dark sky.

These photographs also show why atmospheric clouds at night do not always have to be white, gray or black. Under a dark sky, a thin transparent cloud can reveal some of the color of the natural sky behind it. On this night near Swain, that color was unmistakably green.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• Meteor over the Milky Way – Swain, New York
• Cloudy Starry Night Sky
• Why the Equatorial Sky Glows More Red — Tanzania & Galápagos Astrophotography Experience
• Acadia National Park, Maine USA – Astrophotography
• Airglow Astrophotography – Bryce Canyon National Park – Sunset Point
• Arches National Park Astrophotography
• Sky Ladder – Galapagos Nightscape Astrophotography

Why the Equatorial Sky Glows More Red — Tanzania & Galápagos Astrophotography Experience

During my last trip to Tanzania, I spent several nights photographing the Milky Way with strong equatorial red airglow under perfectly dark skies near the magnetic equator. What caught my attention almost immediately was something unexpected — on photos the sky looked unusually reddish.

Milky Way with equatorial red airglow over Nyikani Migration Camp in Tanzania, photographed near the magnetic equator.

Canon EOS Ra, Canon EF200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, f/3.2; ISO 12800, 15 sec. one photo, Panorama 21 images, combine in Photoshop, September 22, 2025, Nyikani Migration Camp, Tanzania - Equatorial red airglow

       At first, I thought it was just a trick of the weather.

      But the reddish tone wasn’t just a one-night surprise — it appeared the second night, and again the third night, no matter where I set up my tripod.

Canon EOS Ra, Canon EF200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, f/3.2; ISO 20000, 20 sec. one photo, Panorama 21 images, combine in Photoshop, September 23, 2025, Signature Serengeti Camp, Tanzania - Equatorial red airglow

Canon EOS Ra, Canon EF200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, f/3.2; ISO 25600, 15 sec. one photo, Panorama 21 images, combine in Photoshop, September 26, 2025, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania - Equatorial red airglow

      Later, I went back through some of my older photos taken a few years earlier in the Galápagos Islands, and there it was again — that same faint red glow in the sky background.

Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 16.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400, about 40 photos, combine in Photoshop, Feb 23, 2018, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador - Equatorial red airglow

    Four photos, two locations, years apart… and the same pattern. All were taken under dark, moonless skies far from city lights. The red glow wasn’t from pollution — it was coming from the atmosphere itself.

      So I started digging to find out why.

Why It’s Redder Near the Equator

      After reading through scientific papers and observing reports, I found that this red dominance near the equator isn’t a coincidence — it’s a well-known pattern. In scientific literature, some of these large-scale equatorial red airglow patterns are described as intertropical arcs, a technical term for 630 nm nightglow structures seen near the geomagnetic equator.

      Near the magnetic equator, the upper atmosphere gets more direct sunlight and stronger ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. That creates more ionization and more energetic electrons high above Earth. When those electrons recombine with oxygen atoms at night, they emit bright red 630 nm light.

      Meanwhile, the lower green-emitting layer is denser and warmer in tropical regions. Collisions there often “quench” the green light before it can shine. So while both colors exist everywhere, the red layer wins near the equator — especially during periods of strong solar activity like the one we’re in now.

Toy model: Airglow “color” vs latitude (Green 557.7 nm / Red 630.0 nm)

A Simple Way to Imagine It

Think of it like two glowing shells around Earth:

• A lower green shell — thicker air, more collisions, so light is often quenched
• A higher red shell — thinner air, stronger ionization, shining freely into space.

At higher latitudes, the green layer shines more clearly. Near the equator, the red shell becomes brighter and overshadows it. My camera was basically looking through more of that red upper layer, capturing a stronger crimson glow.

The Beauty of Accidental Science

I didn’t set out to study airglow — I was just chasing the Milky Way. But sometimes astrophotography turns into a kind of quiet citizen science. My four “anecdotal” photos ended up showing a real global trend that scientists have been measuring for decades. It is also worth noting that the photos were taken with astronomy-oriented cameras — the Canon EOS Ra in Tanzania and the Canon EOS 60Da in the Galápagos — whose enhanced sensitivity to deep red wavelengths may have made this faint equatorial airglow easier to capture.

It’s a reminder that even casual night photographers can notice patterns that connect directly to planetary physics. Next time you shoot the night sky near the tropics, look closely when you process your images. If you see a faint red haze in the background, that’s not light pollution or a white-balance mistake — it’s Earth’s upper atmosphere glowing.

Final Thoughts

Standing under the African night with the Milky Way overhead and the warm breeze on my face, I realized that the sky’s color is not fixed. Even in darkness, our planet shines with its own quiet heartbeat — a breath of red light from hundreds of kilometers above.

The next time you photograph a dark sky, remember: sometimes your camera captures more than stars — it records the living atmosphere of the Earth itself.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• Rainbow of the Milky Way and the Eternal Baobab — Tarangire, Tanzania
• Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography
• Crux (Southern Cross), Milky Way and Palm Tree - Galapagos Night Sky Astrophotography
• Large Magellanic Cloud - Galapagos Night Landscape Astrophotography
• Sky Ladder - Galapagos Nightscape Astrophotography

Rainbow of the Milky Way and the Eternal Baobab — Tarangire, Tanzania

On the midnight of September 26, 2025, under the deep African sky, I captured one of the most surreal moments of light and life. The photograph — a 21-image panorama taken with my Canon EOS Ra and Canon EF 200 mm f/2.8L II USM lens (f/3.2, ISO 25 600, 15 s exposure) — reveals the Milky Way arcing like a celestial rainbow above a solitary baobab tree in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

Rainbow of the Milky Way and the Eternal Baobab - Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

This is a single-night image, stitched in Photoshop, but it carries the weight of millennia — both cosmic and earthly.

The Baobab: The Tree of Life

At the center of the frame stands the baobab (Adansonia digitata), often called the Tree of Life. Native to the dry savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, this extraordinary species grows in scattered populations across Tanzania, Madagascar, and parts of the Sahel. Baobabs can live for over 2 000 years — some carbon-dated specimens have reached 2 500 to 3 000 years old — silently witnessing the passing of generations, civilizations, and climates.

Baobab

Their immense trunks, often more than 10 meters in diameter, are actually natural reservoirs; a single tree can hold up to 120 000 liters of water within its fibrous tissue. In the dry season, elephants and baboons are sometimes seen peeling their bark to reach the moisture inside.

In African folklore, the baobab is a sacred symbol — a meeting of heaven and earth. Its branches, reaching skyward like roots, gave rise to legends that the gods planted it upside-down. Standing beside one beneath the Milky Way, the resemblance to a cosmic silhouette feels almost intentional.

Tarangire: The Quiet Heart of the Savanna

Located just south of the equator in northern Tanzania, Tarangire National Park is a sanctuary of vast plains, ancient river valleys, and herds of elephants. Its skies are among the clearest and darkest in East Africa, especially during the dry season from June to October.

That night, around midnight, the air was perfectly still. The southern Milky Way rose high overhead, and the galactic core shimmered in a curtain of color rarely visible to the naked eye.

The Airglow

The subtle green, red, and orange tones in the photo are not from city lights — they are natural airglow, an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when molecules in the upper atmosphere (about 85–100 km up) emit faint light after being energized by the Sun during the day.

Contrary to popular belief, strong airglow is not limited to the poles; it is often most intense near the equator, where the upper atmosphere experiences greater gravity-wave activity and chemical recombination. Near-equatorial latitudes like Tarangire (~4° S) often produce beautifully structured bands of red (from oxygen at ~250 km) and green (from oxygen at ~95 km) that shimmer across the night sky — invisible to human eyes but captured vividly in long-exposure astrophotography.

What you see above the baobab, therefore, is not light pollution but the Earth itself glowing, whispering its quiet luminescence into the darkness.

A Meeting of Earth and Sky

This image is a meeting of contrasts: an ancient tree rooted in the soil of Africa, and a galaxy 100 000 light-years across suspended above it. Between them, a living, breathing layer of atmosphere paints the bridge — the airglow, the breath of our planet.

Under the Milky Way: A Night in Tarangire

Every color in the image tells a story:

• Amber and red: oxygen recombining high above the equator.
• Soft green: the pulse of Earth’s upper atmosphere.
• Silver stars: the spiral arm of the Milky Way.
• Dark silhouette: a 1 000-year-old baobab tree watching the cosmos turn.

In that moment, Tarangire was not just a national park — it was a reminder that the planet itself participates in the night sky.

Technical Notes

• Camera: Canon EOS Ra (modified for astrophotography)
• Lens: Canon EF 200 mm f/2.8L II USM
• Settings: f/3.2 · 15 s · ISO 25 600
• Panorama: 21 frames combined in Adobe Photoshop
• Date: September 26, 2025
• Location: Tarangire National Park, Tanzania (~4° S latitude)

Reflection

When I look at this photograph, I see time itself — the timeless patience of the baobab and the ceaseless motion of the stars. Both are survivors: one through endurance, the other through orbit.

Under that rainbow Milky Way, I realized that the Earth doesn’t just reflect the universe — it participates in it. The light that touched the baobab that night had traveled for tens of thousands of years, only to meet the glow of our own atmosphere.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• The Milky Way Over the Sailing Stone: A Night Under the Stars at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California
• Arches National Park Astrophotography
• Yellowstone Astrophotography
• Grand Teton National Park Nightscape Astrophotography Colter Bay Village Starry Sky Canon 60Da
• Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

Night Sky After Snowstorm and Zodiacal Light — Great Sand Dunes National Park Astrophotography

 Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, located in southern Colorado, is a unique and breathtaking destination that offers incredible opportunities for astrophotography. The park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, which rise over 750 feet high against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 

With its remote location, low light pollution, and clear skies, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is the perfect place for stargazing and capturing stunning photographs of the night sky.

As an avid amateur astrophotographer, I am always on the lookout for unique and breathtaking locations to capture in my photography. When I heard about the incredible natural beauty of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, I knew that I had to visit and see it for myself.

Night Sky over Snow-Covered Dunes After a Snowstorm — Great Sand Dunes National Park

Canon EOS Ra, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, f/2.8, ISO 25600, 13 sec. Post processing: Photoshop and Topaz AI.

This photo was taken at midnight about 1 hour after a snowstorm had passed through the area. The snow on the dunes provided a striking contrast against the dark night sky, creating a dramatic and almost otherworldly atmosphere. 

One particularly interesting element in the photo is the air glow. Air glow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere emit light. This can create a soft, diffuse glow in the sky that becomes visible in long-exposure photographs. The green, yellow, and red colors are produced by different atmospheric emissions — primarily oxygen and hydroxyl molecules — creating the natural phenomenon known as airglow.

Dark clouds are also visible in the image, drifting slowly above the dunes. These are ordinary atmospheric clouds on Earth, captured during the long exposure shortly after the snowstorm passed. Against the background of thousands of stars, the clouds appear almost black, which is another indication of how dark the sky was that night. In locations with significant light pollution, clouds usually appear bright or orange due to reflected city lights, but here they remain nearly black.

It was a moment that I will never forget, and a photo that I will treasure for years to come. I feel so lucky to have been able to capture this photo, and I hope that it inspires others to get out there and explore the wonders of our natural world.

Below are a few additional night photos taken during this visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park, capturing different perspectives of the desert landscape under the Colorado night sky.

Where desert meets the cosmos — the Great Sand Dunes National Park sign standing under a river of stars

Taking a photograph near the park entrance sign has become a small tradition for many visitors to Great Sand Dunes National Park. I followed the same tradition — but with a twist typical for an astrophotographer. Instead of a daytime photo, I captured the sign at night, standing quietly beneath a sky filled with thousands of stars.

Colors of the night — Orion emerges over the silent dunes while Zodiacal Light rises through Venus along the ecliptic above Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Canon EOS Ra, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 16mm, f/2.8, ISO 25600, 15 sec.

Captured the night after a snowstorm passed through the area. This image shows Orion rising above the dunes, Venus near the horizon, and Zodiacal Light extending upward along the ecliptic under Bortle Class 2 skies. Unlike the previous photo, the dunes here are free of snow, revealing the desert landscape beneath the winter sky.

The final image in this series reveals another subtle astronomical phenomenon. Near the horizon the bright object is the planet Venus, often called the Evening Star when it shines in the sky after sunset. Passing upward through Venus is a faint triangular glow known as the Zodiacal Light.

Zodiacal Light is sunlight reflected from countless microscopic dust particles orbiting the Sun in the plane of the Solar System. Because the dust lies along the ecliptic — the same path followed by the planets — the glow appears as a tilted column of light rising along the zodiac constellations. In this image the glow extends upward through Venus and into the sky above Orion.

This phenomenon is extremely difficult to see from light-polluted areas and usually becomes visible only under very dark skies. The observation at Great Sand Dunes National Park was made under approximately Bortle Class 2 conditions, which allowed the Zodiacal Light to stand out clearly in the long-exposure photograph.

Interestingly, I did not recognize the Zodiacal Light when the photo was taken. Only later, while processing the image and verifying the sky orientation with astronomy software Stellarium, did it become clear that the faint glow aligned perfectly with the ecliptic.

This became the third location where I was able to capture Zodiacal Light in my astrophotography:

• Zodiacal Light — Bolivia Astrophotography
• Zodiacal Light over the Negev Desert, Israel
• Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado (this post)

Together these observations show how truly dark skies — deserts, high plateaus, and remote national parks — allow us to photograph faint natural light phenomena that are completely invisible from most populated regions of the world.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is also recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, making it one of the best locations in the United States for stargazing and night sky photography. The combination of high elevation, dry Colorado air, and minimal light pollution allows faint natural phenomena such as airglow and Zodiacal Light to become visible under good conditions.

For astrophotographers, the park offers a rare landscape where towering desert dunes, alpine mountains, and an exceptionally dark sky come together to create dramatic nightscape compositions.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• Rainbow of the Milky Way and the Eternal Baobab — Tarangire, Tanzania
• The Milky Way Over the Sailing Stone: A Night Under the Stars at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California
• Yellowstone Astrophotography
• Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography
• Different types of the Milky Way Night Landscape - Stair Sail and Arch

Washington State Hurricane Ridge - Night Sky and Snow Mountains

 

Astrophotography from Washington State Olympic National Park, July 11, New Moon, during astronomy tour in  Hurricane Ridge. 

Canon EOS Ra, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, f/2.8;   ISO 12800, Combination of two photos 4 sec and 30 sec, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington State.

Washington State Hurricane Ridge - Night Sky and Snow Mountains

Standing above the clouds at Hurricane Ridge, I experienced one of the clearest and darkest skies in the Pacific Northwest. In the first image, the central part of the Milky Way is visible, angled diagonally above the snow-covered Olympic Mountains. The galactic core appears suspended over the rugged alpine ridgeline, creating a dramatic contrast between bright star clouds and dark mountain silhouettes.

Big Dipper above the Olympic Mountains — captured from Hurricane Ridge, Washington. The greenish hue is natural airglow, a faint atmospheric emission visible only under truly dark skies.

The snow-covered Olympic Mountains reflected faint starlight, while a greenish hue shimmered across the horizon — not from city lights, but from natural airglow high in Earth’s atmosphere. The Big Dipper hovered above the peaks, emphasizing the clarity and depth of this alpine night sky.

I enjoy the night sky view.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• Grand Teton Milky Way Astrophotography — Mountain Nightscape
• Balanced Rock — Arches National Park Milky Way Night Landscape
• A Tree and the Milky Way — Night Sky Landscape Astrophotography
• The Milky Way Over the Sailing Stone — Death Valley National Park

Austin Dam Ruins - Cherry Springs State Park Pennsylvania Astrophotography

The Austin Dam Ruins, located near Austin, Pennsylvania, are one of the most dramatic historic landmarks in the region surrounding Cherry Springs State Park — one of the darkest sky locations in the eastern United States. The massive concrete remains of the dam create an unusual foreground for nightscape astrophotography, combining history, landscape, and a pristine starry sky.

The original dam was constructed in 1909 to supply water for the Bayless Pulp and Paper Mill. On September 30, 1911, the dam catastrophically failed after heavy rains, sending a destructive flood through the valley below and causing significant loss of life. A second dam was later rebuilt on the same site, but it also failed during a severe flood in 1942. After the second disaster the structure was never rebuilt.

Today the broken concrete walls remain as a memorial and historic site. Since 1994 the Austin Dam Memorial Park Association has worked to preserve the ruins and maintain the surrounding parkland. For photographers visiting the Cherry Springs region, the dam provides a striking foreground subject beneath the dark skies of northern Pennsylvania.

Austin Dam Ruins - Cherry Springs State Park Pennsylvania Astrophotography

Camera settings: Canon EOS Ra, ISO 16,000, 15 sec exposure, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens at f/2.8.

One interesting atmospheric phenomenon visible in this image is green airglow. Airglow is a natural emission of light from Earth's upper atmosphere caused by chemical reactions involving oxygen and other molecules at altitudes of about 90–100 km. Under very dark skies — such as those around Cherry Springs — airglow often appears as faint green bands or waves across the sky.

Green Sky and Red Milky Way - Cherry Spring State Park Pennsylvania Astrophotography

Camera settings: Canon EOS Ra, ISO 10,000, 25 sec exposure, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, f/2.8.

Cherry Springs State Park is known for its exceptionally dark skies, often approaching Bortle Class 2-3 conditions. These skies allow faint phenomena such as airglow, zodiacal light, and the detailed structure of the Milky Way to become visible both visually and in long-exposure astrophotography.

Austin Dam Ruins map

Although truly dark skies are rare in the eastern United States, locations such as the Cherry Springs region of Pennsylvania still offer remarkable conditions for astrophotography. Farther west, dark skies become even more common. Large areas of the western United States — particularly in states like Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California — provide vast regions with minimal light pollution, allowing the Milky Way, airglow, and other faint sky phenomena to appear with striking clarity. For night sky photographers, exploring these different dark-sky environments is part of the adventure.

Related Astrophotography Posts – Pennsylvania Dark Skies

• Cherry Springs State Park Pennsylvania Astrophotography
  One of the darkest sky locations in the eastern United States. Cherry Springs State Park is famous for Milky Way visibility, airglow, and meteor observing under Bortle Class 2 skies.


• Watching the Sky, Observing Meteors, Making Wishes – Cherry Springs State Park Pennsylvania
  Meteor watching and night sky observation during a dark-sky session at Cherry Springs. Under excellent conditions, faint meteors and the detailed structure of the Milky Way become visible.


• Boulder Field – Hickory Run State Park Pennsylvania Night Sky
  Nightscape astrophotography above the famous Boulder Field in Hickory Run State Park. This location offers darker skies than most eastern U.S. locations, approaching Bortle Class 5-6.


• Cloudy Starry Night Sky
  Even partial cloud cover can create interesting astrophotography compositions. Moving clouds illuminated by starlight and nearby light pollution reveal the sky brightness typical of Bortle Class 6 skies near Delaware Water Gap.

Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography

If you have only observed the stars of the Northern Hemisphere and have never seen the southern night sky, then you have only seen part of the story. The Southern Hemisphere sky offers a different and in many ways richer view of the universe, with features that are either difficult or impossible to see from northern latitudes.

Among the most famous southern sky objects are the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, two nearby irregular dwarf galaxies visible to the unaided eye under dark skies. The southern sky also contains the Southern Cross (Crux), the brilliant stars Alpha and Beta Centauri, and some of the brightest and most detailed sections of the Milky Way.

This post shows several examples of my Southern Hemisphere astrophotography from Bolivia and Chile, where the high altitude and very dark skies reveal an extraordinary amount of detail.

One of the most unforgettable sights in the southern sky is the view of the Magellanic Clouds.

This photo was taken in Bolivia near Hotel Tayka del Desierto, Ojo de Perdiz, at an altitude of about 4,600 meters (15,000 feet). It shows the southern night sky with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and a reddish glow near the horizon caused by airglow.

Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography Magellanic Clouds  Bolivia

The two cloud-like patches of light are the neighbouring galaxies known as the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud. They are among the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way and are a spectacular sight with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. For an observer from the Northern Hemisphere, seeing them for the first time is one of the most memorable experiences in astronomy.

Another remarkable feature of the southern sky is the combination of the Southern Cross, Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri, and the bright southern Milky Way.

Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography: Magellanic Cloud, Southern Cross, Alpha and Beta Centauri,  Milky Way - Chile

This part of the southern sky contains some of the most beautiful wide-angle targets for nightscape astrophotography. The dense Milky Way star fields, bright southern constellations, and nearby galaxies make the view especially impressive under dark skies.

The next image shows part of a Milky Way panorama, where different colors of the night sky are also visible.

Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography - Colors of Night Sky

Under very dark conditions, the southern sky reveals not only rich Milky Way structure but also subtle natural atmospheric colors. These tones can include reddish and greenish airglow, adding even more beauty to the panorama.

Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography - Chile Astrophotography

In this panorama I intentionally did not keep the horizon flat. I used a middle position where the Milky Way looks almost like a straight line, while the horizon becomes curved. This gives a stronger panoramic effect and better shows the scale of the southern night sky.

Southern Hemisphere Milky Way panorama over Bolivia, shown with the Milky Way nearly straight while the horizon forms a curved line

Southern Hemisphere Milky Way Mountain Bolivia Astrophotography

For anyone interested in astronomy or astrophotography, traveling south opens a completely different view of the universe. The Magellanic Clouds, Southern Cross, Centauri stars, and the brilliant southern Milky Way make the Southern Hemisphere night sky one of the most rewarding sights on Earth.

Related Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography Posts

• Milky Way Casting Shadows - Chile Astrophotography - San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations Star Tour
• Chile Astrophotography - Galactic Center - San Pedro de Atacama City - Backyard Photo
• Astrophotography Adventure in Chile Atacama Desert
• Bolivia Astrophotography - Salar de Uyuni at Night
• Zodiacal Light Bolivia Astrophotography
• Unintentional Camera Movement Astrophotography

Bolivia Astrophotography - Salar de Uyuni at Night

These photographs capture an unforgettable night under the stars at the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia — a place that feels almost unreal after dark. Shot during a guided Uyuni stargazing tour, the images reveal the brilliance of the southern hemisphere night sky above the world’s largest salt flat.

At an elevation of approximately 3,650 meters (12,000 feet), Salar de Uyuni offers exceptionally transparent air, minimal light pollution, and dramatic atmospheric effects. The night skies above Salar de Uyuni approach Bortle Class 1 on the dark-sky scale. Such skies allow the Milky Way to appear extremely bright and structured, with visible airglow and exceptional contrast even at low elevations above the horizon. The result is a sky filled with intense star fields, vivid red and green airglow, and prominent southern constellations such as Crux (the Southern Cross).

The vast salt surface creates a unique foreground for astrophotography. Distinct hexagonal salt patterns, formed by crystallization as water evaporates, are visible even at night and provide scale and texture beneath the Milky Way.

Camera & Settings:
Canon EOS 60Da
Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L
30 seconds · f/2.8 · ISO 6400
Panoramic night-sky composition

Bolivia Astrophotography - Salar de Uyuni at Night

In this first image, the Milky Way rises diagonally from the salt horizon on the left toward the upper right of the frame. The Galactic Center is clearly visible, glowing intensely against the high-altitude sky.

Salar de Uyuni Milky Way Bolivia Astrophotography

The second image includes a person illuminated by a small light source. This provides a clear sense of scale against the immense salt flat and highlights how the Milky Way and airglow dominate the high-altitude night sky.

Southern hemisphere night sky Milky  Way Bolivia Astrophotography

The third image highlights the richness of the southern Milky Way combined with subtle airglow colors — a signature of extremely dark, high-altitude observing sites. The Crux constellation (Southern Cross) is especially well defined here, as this frame was captured with a tighter field of view and moderate zoom rather than as part of a wide panoramic sweep.

With over 10,500 km² of salt, more than 10 billion tons of crystalline deposits, and up to 70% of the world’s known lithium reserves, Salar de Uyuni is not only a geological wonder, but also one of the most extraordinary natural platforms for night-sky photography on Earth.

Related Astrophotography Posts

• Zodiacal Light – Bolivia Astrophotography
• Southern Hemisphere Astrophotography
• Milky Way Casting Shadows – Chile Astrophotography
• Astrophotography Adventure in Chile – Atacama Desert
• Chile Astrophotography – Galactic Center from San Pedro de Atacama

Acadia National Park, Maine USA - Astrophotography

Acadia National Park, located on Mount Desert Island, Maine, is one of the darkest accessible locations on the U.S. East Coast. I honestly did not expect to witness such extraordinary sky conditions here — visible airglow, intense Milky Way contrast, and even subtle diffuse shadows cast by the Galactic Center.

After driving nearly 10 hours from New York with family and friends, we arrived under perfect conditions: new Moon, clear forecast, and dry summer air. It was a rare opportunity to test how dark the Atlantic coast can truly be.

Acadia Astrophotography - Panorama of 4 Images Milky Way over Sand Beach

Canon 60Da, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 – 4-frame panorama

Sand Beach, while just a 290-yard-long beach inlet between granite mountains, has a spectacular view of the night sky. On the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, this spot can approach Class 1 — naturally dark and remarkably rare on the East Coast.

That darkness comes from two main factors: location and park lighting. Newport Cove helps protect the beach from sky glow from populated parts of the island. The beach faces out to the dark open ocean, and the surrounding topography blocks the line of sight from Bar Harbor, reducing residual sky glow. Park lighting is also designed to minimize light pollution.

Acadia Astrophptography  Milky Way Night Landscape

Canon 60Da, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 12800

Even a single exposure reveals remarkable atmospheric structure. Subtle green airglow layers are clearly visible — a strong indicator of natural darkness.

Black and White Acadia Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec;  f/2.8;  ISO 12800 - One photo

Monochrome emphasizes structure — granite formations, dark dust lanes, and stellar density of the Sagittarius region.

Night Landscape Canon Astrophotography Panorama Milky Way Acadia National Park Maine USA

Canon 60Da, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 – 6-frame panorama

Chasing the Milky Way - Acadia National Park

Rainbow Milky Way - Maine Astrophotography, Acadia National Park

Canon 60Da, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400 – 20-frame panorama

The Sand Beach location was a perfect choice. The Galactic Center was bright enough to cast subtle diffuse shadows on the ground, and natural airglow was clearly visible. The presence of Jupiter slightly affected dark adaptation, yet the overall sky quality was extraordinary — a dramatic contrast to New York’s Bortle Class 8–9 skies.

Sand Beach feels like a small dark-sky oasis along the Atlantic coast. Just a few minutes away by car, the ocean horizon disappears, the mountains no longer shield the view, and faint light pollution becomes noticeable again. Here, however, the combination of open ocean exposure and terrain shielding creates a pocket of exceptional darkness.

Acadia proves that true darkness still exists on the East Coast — sometimes in small geographic pockets where ocean exposure and terrain combine perfectly.

For East Coast astrophotographers, this place is a hidden treasure.

Related Astrophotography Posts – Bortle Class 1 Dark Sky Locations

Explore other locations where I experienced true Bortle Class 1 darkness around the world:

• Milky Way Casting Shadows – Atacama Desert, Chile (Bortle Class 1)
• Zodiacal Light – Bolivia Altiplano (Bortle Class 1)
• Rainbow Milky Way & Eternal Baobab – Tarangire, Tanzania (Bortle Class 1)
• Milky Way Over the Sailing Stone – Racetrack Playa, Death Valley (Bortle Class 1)

Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

We can allow satellites, planets, suns, 

universe, nay whole systems of universes, 

to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, 

we wish to be created at once by special act.

--Charles Darwin

The Galapagos Islands offer one of the most extraordinary night skies on Earth. Located almost exactly on the equator, they allow observers to see both the northern and southern celestial hemispheres in a single night — a rare and powerful perspective for astrophotography.

This image is a 40-frame Milky Way panorama, captured over approximately one hour from Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island. Visible in this single panorama are constellations from both skies: Orion, Canis Major, Crux (Southern Cross), Carina, and Centaurus.

Three of the brightest stars in Earth’s night sky appear together: Sirius, Canopus, and Rigel Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri). Subtle red and green airglow is also visible — a natural atmospheric emission that is especially prominent at equatorial latitudes.

Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

Camera: Canon EOS 60Da
Lens: EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Panorama: 40 frames (about 1 hour)
Exposure (per frame): 16 s · f/2.8 · ISO 6400
Location: Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

The Galapagos are famous not only for their skies, but also for life forms that appear almost unchanged over millions of years. To capture the true atmosphere of this place, I combined night-sky astrophotography with daytime wildlife photographs — all taken by me.

One more photo: "How to Train Your Dragon"

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galapagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile.

How to Train Your Dragon or Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

Not so much were changes on Galapagos Islands during last 3 millions years!

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird. The blue-footed booby is distributed among the continental coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean from California to the Galapagos Islands down into Peru. The blue color of the blue-footed booby's webbed feet comes from carotenoid pigments obtained from its diet of fresh fish.

The blue-footed booby and Milky Way Isabela Island Galapagos Ecuador

Frigatebirds (also listed as "frigate bird", "frigate-bird", "frigate", "frigate-petrel") are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. Females have white underbellies and males have a distinctive red gular pouch, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females.

Frigate-bird and Milky Way - Galapagos Islands

Darwin's finches (also known as the Galapagos finches) are a group of about 15 species of passerine birds. During the survey voyage of HMS Beagle, Darwin was unaware of the significance of the birds of the Galapagos. These birds were to play an important part in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Darwin's Galapagos finch and night cloudy sky Santa Cruz Island

Most of Galapagos Flamingo plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy Flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler European species. Flamingos can only eat with their head upside down. Their beaks have lamellae (thin, flat membranes) which are used to filter the mud.

Galapagos Flamingo and Milky Way Astrophotography

The Galapagos tortoise are the largest living species of tortoise. Modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 417 kg (919 lb). Today, giant tortoises exist on only two remote archipelagos: the Galapagos Islands 1000 km due west of mainland Ecuador; and Aldabrachelys gigantea of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania.

Galapagos giant tortoise and Orion - night sky

These composite images are a deliberate artistic exception for me. They merge sky and life to convey the spirit of the Galapagos — a place where ancient biology and cosmic perspective coexist naturally.

Related Galápagos & Equatorial Sky Astrophotography

• Sky Ladder - Galapagos Nightscape Astrophotography
• Crux (Southern Cross), Milky Way and Palm Tree — Galápagos
• Large Magellanic Cloud — Galápagos Night Landscape
• Moonset — Galápagos Ecuador Astrophotography
• Milky Way Tanzania Astrophotography
• Why the Equatorial Sky Glows More Red — Tanzania & Galápagos