The view from the docks at the town of Abisko on Lake Trondetraske. The “Gates of Lapland” is seen in the distance as a notch in the wall of mountains.
Green light from ionized oxygen dominates, but is accompanied by reds from ionized nitrogen. They follow complex fields that creates sheets and apparent loops of light.
During this 8-second exposure, a train enters the view, its headlight illuminating the landscape. The train adds its own trails of light, including the arcs of its electrical contact with the overhead wire.
As ribbons of northern light drift above us, another aurora photographer arranges her next shot. The technique is not difficult and the results on the small camera screen reveal colors and textures beyond what we could see ourselves directly.
A “blood moon” is the name given to a total lunar eclipse, due to its reddish color when in the Earth’s shadow. The title “supermoon” is given to a full moon when it is at its closest approach, making it appear a bit larger than average. When a lunar eclipse happens at this perigee, it may be called a super blood moon.
At totality, the moon is entirely inside the shadow of the Earth, although it might not be perfectly centered. The color is a dark orange, but not uniformly so. It is so dim that stars, normally washed out by the moon’s glare, can be seen in the background.
We can see the curvature of the Earth as the moon enters its shadow. The color in the shadow is a coppery red, but it is a thousandth of the brightness of the still-illuminated half.
A “blood moon” is the name given to a total lunar eclipse, due to its reddish color when in the Earth’s shadow. The title “supermoon” is given to a full moon when it is at its closest approach, making it appear a bit larger than average. When a lunar eclipse happens at this perigee, it may be called a super blood moon.
This is a picture at moonrise over Lake Nokomis, just before the lunar eclipse began. The orange color is not the blood of the eclipse, it is the normal colors of the sun and moon while rising or setting.
A serendipitous stay at a National Forest campground, where we enjoyed the burbling sounds of the river and watched fly-fishers ply their way into the waters to apply their fishing skills. At night, the stars travel their usual paths and the sky silhouettes the pine covered ridge on the other side of the creek.