At the top of the tallest volcanic mountains on Hawaii are the world’s premier telescopes. They are here because the air is calm and dry, high above the clouds and turbulence of lower elevations. The tradeoff is cold and snow, a small price to pay for the chance to explore the secrets of the universe.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
3 January 2017
iPhone7+ panorama
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The rosy glow of scattered twilight in the East is known as the “Belt of Venus”, which rides above the deep blue of Earth’s shadow on the sky. Here it is witnessed from the vantage of Hawaii’s tallest peak, Mauna Kea, as the world’s premier telescopes prepare for another evening of peering into the universe.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
3 January 2017
iPhone7+ panorama
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We are guests on the river boat Omar El Kayan, named after an Arab poet, visiting the areas of Egypt where Lake Nasser, created by the Aswan dam has submerged the ancient temples along the former banks of the Nile river. Abu Simbel was the most famous, but there were others, and we visited the sites where they had been carefully relocated.
At the end of a hot day navigating the lake, the boat moored. The wind and water were calm and the sky was dark on this section of the Nile. Out of curiosity I made a series of exposures hoping to capture the feeling of stars above the famous river and the desert around me. But calm water does not mean motionless water, and the camera recorded the small wave motions rocking the boat on which I was a passenger for the night.
Nile River near Kasr Ibrim, Egypt
8 October 2016
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
5 minutes, f/4, ISO 1600
Composite of 23 5-minute exposures (~2 hours)
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Aurora reflected in the waters of Lake Trondetraske, Sweden’s longest and deepest lake.
Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600
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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.
Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
30 seconds, f/4.5, ISO 1600
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An auroral cloud covers the constellation Orion above the landmark gap in the mountains known as the “Gates of Lapland”
Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
30 seconds, f/4.5, ISO 1600
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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.
Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600
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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.
Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600
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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.
Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600
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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.
Nokomis Lake, Minneapolis
27 September 2015
Canon EOS 60Da on Televue-85
1 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800
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