Mother Nature just did not want to cooperate tonight with a steady stream of clouds obscuring the view of the moon here north of Denver. Early on I managed a few shots but with clouds in the way. After that, the chances were so fleeting and fast shooting in between the clouds that my results were very disappointing.
Meteor streaks through the Milky Way
Meteor streaks through the Milky Way. Of course that isn’t really the case but it sure looks like it. I tried my hand at some astrophotography this past weekend – only the second time ever for me.
The first night totally bombed as I struggled to get things right. The second night however I finally had some success.
In the case of this image, I was lucky enough to capture a meteor as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere with the Milky Way in the background.
I was also experimenting with ‘light painting’ by shining a flashlight on the trees in the foreground. That part of the image I am not so sure I like; I think I would prefer them as just shadows. What do you think?
Taken in Arapaho National Forest, Colorado.
First attempt at astrophotograhy captures the Milky Way and Perseid meteor shower
Sitting outside by the campfire in Arapaho National Forest the other night, I decided on a whim to try my hand at astrophotography.
All in all, I don’t think they came out too bad. I do regret not cranking up the ISO and not using a faster shutter speed. Nevertheless, I am happy since it is my first attempt and I even managed to capture a few meteors from the Perseid meteor shower.
Last moon of March
Unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions recently have led to some very pleasant days and evenings here in the Denver, Colorado area. Last night followed suit and was quite conducive to sneaking out and grabbing a few pictures of the gorgeous waxing gibbous moon. Luna was looking absolutely fabulous from the Mile High City to say the least.
Sunrise moonset
Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous morning here on the Colorado Front Range with reasonably mild temperatures, mostly clear skies and a golden sunrise. Looking away from the rising sun, layers of clouds, a setting full moon and an amber landscape filled the eyes. It was gorgeous!
A full Cold Moon
With the successful launch of the NASA Orion Spacecraft today, it seems very appropriate to go out and gaze at the full moon. Thankfully clear skies in the Denver allowed for viewing.
I am a geek in many ways and spaceflight is something that has captivated me since I was very young. While I am excited to see Orion take flight and the United States take our next step toward space exploration, I can’t help but think about what could have been had we not lost the will to continue after Apollo. We could have accomplished so much more in the decades since then – if we only had the desire.
Late November waxing gibbous moon
Clear skies and mild temperatures in Denver gave me a good chance to ‘shoot the moon’ last evening. She looks pretty good for being 4.5 billion years old. 😉 Very happy with the results from my new Tamron SP 150-600mm lens.
Partial solar eclipse as seen from Denver
Quite a treat to be able to witness this celestial event.
To shoot a picture of an eclipse properly, you really need special filters and a more powerful lens than what I have. Both are expensive and so I improvised as far as the filter goes and taped welder’s glass to the front of my lens. The end result wasn’t too bad and you can even see sun spots on the surface.
This was taken about 15 minutes before the eclipse maximum as clouds intruded on the main event. 🙁
The blood moon as seen from Denver
I don’t have the best gear for capturing an eclipse but didn’t do too bad this morning. A few light cirrus clouds no doubt impacted the sharpness but at least it was relatively mild.
While everyone is calling it a ‘blood moon’, the meaning behind that term isn’t exactly clear. As written on EarthSky.org, some attribute it to the lunar tetrad – four successive full lunar eclipses without any partial eclipses. This is the second of the four, each coming six months apart.
Waxing Gibbous moon at sunset
As the sun went down in the Rocky Mountains this past Saturday, the moon was brilliantly lit and some light, whispy clouds flew between it and the surface of the Earth. There will be lots of talk this week about Wednesday’s full lunar eclipse, the second in a series of four in a row for the U.S. You can learn more about this week’s big celestial event here: http://1.usa.gov/ZNyLNO