Category Archives: Night Sky Photography

Nile Star Trails

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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.

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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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Abisko Aurora-2

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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.

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Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
30 seconds, f/4.5, ISO 1600

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Ghost Train

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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.

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Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600

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Photographing Aurora

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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.

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Kiruna Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600

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Super Blood Moonrise

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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.

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.

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Nokomis Lake, Minneapolis
27 September 2015
Canon EOS 60Da on Televue-85
1/45 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

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Lodgepole Campground

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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.  

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Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, Montana
14 August 2015
Canon EOS 60Da 10-22mm (10mm), ISO 800
Two-hour composite of 15-minute exposures at f/8

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