Photography

Polaris in the Obelisk at the Star Theater at Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas – 12/17/2022.

The sky mostly behaved at tonight’s Austin Astronomical Society’s (Texas) public star party at Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas. There were about 60 guests who braved the chilly temperatures (chilly for Central Texas). I gave a 40-minute sky orientation and then the guests got to see Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn along with the Andromeda Galaxy, Pleiades (the Seven Sisters), and the Orion Nebula (late).

The Star Theater at PFSP has a Stone Henge-like formation marking off the four cardinal points. There’s an obelisk in the center that is oriented so that a hole near the top points directly at the North Star, Polaris. The lazy “M” constellation above the obelisk is Cassiopeia which is the wintertime pointer constellation to locate Polaris.

I spent about 15 minutes taking various pictures with my iPhone to get Polaris centered in the hole. This is my best shot. I’m quite satisfied with it!

Single image, iPhone 12, on a tripod, night mode for 25 seconds. This photo was adjusted in both iPhone and Photoshop to bring out the stars and sharpen the image.

SUMMER RV TRAVELS – 2021

Florence Marina in Georgia event on June 16, 2021.
Florence Marina in Georgia event on June 16, 2021.

Here’s a photo of the sunrise over Balanced Rock in Arches National Park on July 22, 2021.

Cassiopeia is a constellation that is typically always above the horizon and is opposite of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). I like to describe it as a lazy W or lazy M depending on the time of year. It too can be used to locate the North Star, Polaris. See the second image with the constellation lines and the pointer line.

Cassiopeia from Moab, Utah, July 22, 2021.
Cassiopeia from Moab, Utah, July 22, 2021 with constellation lines.
Nashville, TN event on June 26, 2021.

Venus before sunrise on July 22, 2021 in Moab, Utah.

Sunrise over Balanced Rock in Arches National Park on July 22, 2021.

Delicate Arch is the most famous of all the arches in Arches National Park. You have to hike 1.5 miles on a gravel and rock trail with an elevation change of about 600 feet. The hike up at dusk was pretty easy. There were about 60 people there when I arrived just before sunrise.

This was photographed at sunrise on July 23, 2021 before people started walking under the arch to get photograph.

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, July 23, 2021

Milky Way over Cody, Wyoming. Winds were strong at 20 mph. I had to position the Jeep so that it would break part of the wind. Single photo, Nikon D5500, Rokinon 16mm, f2.0, 8 second exposure, ISO 1600. Foreground fence and hills painted with iPhone light.

Jupiter and Saturn over the hills of Big Arm, Montana. Jupiter is to the left of the telephone pole and Saturn to the left of the Spruce tree. A portion of the Milky Way is in the upper right corner almost obscured by the verses.
Blood red Moon over Salmon, Idaho due to wildfires in the west. I’ve not ever seen the Moon this red.
Milky Way over Boulder City, Nevada USA. This campground was along the shore of Lake Mead. This cactus plant was at the edge of the RV park. It reminds me of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. Currently the manmade lake formed by the Hoover Dam is at 35% capacity due to extended drought conditions in the watershed and mountains that feed the lake. Imaged on August 28, 2021.
The Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA is like an outdoor art gallery. There are dozens of metal art sprinkled throughout the park. I call this one “the Chalice.” It’s in the dog park area at the front of the park. The Milky Way was stunning as there was not a lot of light pollution at the 5800 feet altitude and moonless night. I imaged the Milky Way with several vehicles and machinery in the foreground. Imaged on September 2, 2021.
This is an old pump in the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. I tried to position the exhaust pipe to appear as if it was spewing the Milky Way.
This is a grader that was parked on the property of the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. I used my iPhone light and the red flashing light from my bike to light-paint the grader.
This is an old water pump at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA.
This old pickup truck was parked near the front of the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA.
This is may favorite photos both because of the old pickup truck and the detail of the Milky Way. Also, none of the RV’s are visible in the background. The light inside the pickup truck was from an RV on the driver side of the pickup. Imaged at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA.
This dog weather vane was part of the dog park at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. I did manage to capture an aircraft at the bottom of the weathervane pole.
Trying something different here. This is a red and white truck without a bed. I’ve removed the color to try to show the Milky Way in black and white. Imaged at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico USA.
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