Tupper Lake New York Adirondack Mountains Astrophotography

Adirondack Mountains, Tupper Lake, Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec;  f/2.8;  ISO 6400

Tupper Lake New York Milky Way Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec;  f/2.8;  ISO 6400

Adirondack Mountains Tupper Lake Big Dipper New York Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec;  f/2.8;  ISO 6400

Pleiades over Tupper Lake - Adirondack Mountains Astrophotography

Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec;  f/2.8;  ISO 6400

Reflection of Big Dipper - Tupper Lake Astrophotography

Adirondack Public Observatory

Adirondack Public Observatory (Tupper Lake, New York) -  is one of the best places in New York State (and East Cost) for sky observation.

Adirondack Public Observatory and Milky Way

Adirondack Public Observatory in the day time

Adirondack Public Observatory -Tupper Lake - New York

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

Panorama of Milky Way - 40 photos (it takes about 1 hour). On this photo you can see Orion, Crux (Southern Cross), Canis Major, Carinae, Centaurus Constellations, and three brightest stars of the Earth sky: Sirius, Canopus and Rigel Kentaurus. The night sky airglow (red and green sheen) is visible on this panorama too.

Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

 Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 16.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador.

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

Crux (Southern Cross), Milky Way and Palm Tree - Galapagos Night Sky Astrophotography

Galapagos night starry sky is fantastic! You can see Alpha Centauri - the closest star system to the Solar System, Crux - Southern Cross constellation, and the South Celestial Pole!

Crux  (Southern Cross), Milky Way  and Palm Tree - Galapagos Night Sky Astrophotography

Panorama of 3 photos, Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 16.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Using this photo you can find the South Celestial Pole.

The South Celestial Pole - Galapagos Equator Sky - Annotated

From this photo you can see that the south celestial pole is very close to the horizon. The equator passes through the Isabela island. This is true equator sky!

Large Magellanic Cloud - Galapagos Night Landscape Astrophotography

Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of the symbol of the Southern Sky (especially for me northern-biased star gazer).  First time I saw Large Magellanic Cloud in Peru, couple of years ago, but it was too close to horizon. Finally, I got it!   This small white cloud on the right is not regular cloud, it is companion of our Milky Way, just 1/100 mass of our Galaxy. The position of the LMC can be recognized using Southern Cross. On Galapagos fantastic starry night sky, the LMC view was amazing!

Large Magellanic Cloud - Galapagos Night Landscape Astrophotography

Large Magellanic Cloud, Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Canon EOS 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 30.0 sec; f/4.0; ISO 6400.

Tennessee Astrophotography - Great American Eclipse - Total Solar Eclipse August 21, 2017

"The Sun was eclipsed; it was all gone. 

It was like ink and without light. 

The stars were visible in the daytime."

-- Hyaku Rensho. (Total solar eclipse of August AD 975)

There are photos from our families expedition to T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains, Tennessee for Great American Total Eclipse August 21, 2017. In the Shadow of the Moon - 2 min 37 sec.

Solar Corona - Tellico Plains, Tennessee - Total Solar Eclipse 2017, New York City Expedition, photo by Igor Kuskovsky

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 August 21 Canon 60D  Tellico Plains, Tennessee, New York City Expedition, photo by Igor Kuskovsky

Diamond Ring Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Celestron Nexstar 4SE Astrophotography

Solar Corona Great USA Eclipse 2017 Celestron Nexstar 4SE Astrophotography

Solar Eclipse 2017 Aug 21 Dimond Ring and Solar Corona

Solar activity was pretty active (compare other days when no sunspots was visible). Three bright solar flares and couple of sunspot areas (Wolf Number about 66).

The Beginning of Total Solar Eclipse 2017, Aug 21 - Coronado SolarMax II 60 Telescope, Celestron Nexstar 4SE Tripod, Canon 60Da Camera, Tennessee Astrophotography

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Celestron Nexstar 4SE Telescope, Canon 60Da Camera, Solar Filter Spectrum Telescope ST525G, Tellico Plains, Tennessee Astrophotography

Telescope Nexstar 4SE Camera Canon 60Da Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Tennessee  Astrophotography

Temperature dropped about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (or 5 degrees Celsius) during the Totality. It was cold! Even small clouds disappeared around the sun, probably because of such temperature inside moon shadow.

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Black and White T-Lea Farm Tellico Plains Tennessee Astrophotography

Tennessee Astrophotography - Great Total Solar Eclipse 2017, T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains

Great American Eclipse August 21 2017 Celestron 4SE

Tennessee Astrophotography - At night before the Solar Eclipse - Milky Way - T-Lea Farm, Tellico Plains

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

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

Balanced Rock Arches National Park Utah Night Landscape Astrophotography

Balanced Rock is one of example of erosion. Absolutely not understandable how it still keeping balance! Even you see it during day it is amazing, but at night it looks fantastic! These photos were done during my trip to Arches National Park.

Balanced Rock, Milky Way and drama of clouds on the sky. Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

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

Airglow and Balanced Rock.The natural moonless night sky is dark but not black; it is not even blue (no scattering light from sun and moon). Earth atmosphere generates green, red, orange, yellow light- Airglow! All these doing Arches national park is one of the best place for astroscape photography. Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 25.0 sec; f/2.8; ISO 6400

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

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

Let me introduce new classifications of the Milky Way. Of cause I am not serious, but give me chance, just look on the picture – different types of Milky Way Night Landscaping. On this collage you can see three types of Milky Way – Stair, Sail, and Arch. These three photos were done in Park Avenue at Arches National Park during the same night, just small changes location and it looks different!

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

Arching Milky Way over Arches National Park Utah Astrophotography

Arches National Park is paradise for landscaping astrophotography. Every photo is unique in the park. A lot of absolutely unique landscapes and amazing dark sky. All these doing Arches national park is one of the best place for astroscape photography.

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

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

This is panorama of 40 images. One image settings: Canon 60Da, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 20.0 sec; f/3.5; ISO 6400. It took about one hour to made all these images. All these images were stitch in Photoshop.

Pelican Nebula Astrophotography (IC5070 and IC5067)

“A wonderful bird is the Pelican.

His beak can hold more than his belly can.

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week!

But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?”

― Dixon Lanier Merritt

Pelican Nebula Astrophotography without telescope taken Canon 60Da, iOptron skytracker, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 144 images x 20 sec

Pelican Nebula Astrophotography IC5070 and IC5067

Pelican Nebula (IC5070 and IC5067) - really looks like a pelican!  Compare it with photo of an real pelican! 

Pelican

For comparison I show also smaller set of image  Canon 60Da, EF200mm f/2.8L II USM, f/4.0; ISO 6400, Deep Sky Stacker 29 images x 20 sec

Pelican Nebula Canon60Da iOptron SkyTracker EF200mm f2.8 L II USM_Astrophotography

Pelican Nebula is an active star-forming region, located in Cygnus constellation near North American Nebula.

Northern America nebula and Pelican Nebula and Deneb Star

Sky location of Pelican Nebula see on my collage 

Pelican Nebula, Sky Location Milky Way and real Pelican Collage