Amazing Sky by Alan Dyer

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Moon & Sun { 564 images } Created 19 Feb 2011

A gallery of images (both wide-angle nightscapes and telescopic close-ups) of our Moon and Sun. Included are shots of the Full Moon and Harvest Moon. Separate galleries are dedicated to Lunar and Solar Eclipses, and to Atmospheric Phenomena.
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  • This is the Moon one day after full, rising over my local prairie horizon, with Jupiter at right. Jupiter was just 4 days before opposition so was rising almost at sunset, and the Moon being just past Full was also rising just after sunset, so both came up together this night in very clear skies. <br />
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The Moon and Jupiter were 11° apart this night (so hardly a close conjunction) but they rose together parallel to the horizon. While the Full Moon was closer to Jupiter the night before, clouds prevented any photos, plus the Moon's location above Jupiter meant they would have not risen together as here. <br />
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This is an HDR blend of three exposures taken October 29, 2023 from near home in southern Alberta, with the RF70-200mm lens at 100mm on the Canon R5.
    Rising Moon with Jupiter at Oppositi...jpg
  • This is the Moon one day after full, rising over my local prairie horizon, with atmospheric refraction flattening the disk and adding a faint green rim to the top limb. This serves to illustrate the effect of refraction distorting objects on the horizon and absorption reddening objects when they are low in the sky. <br />
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This is a single shot taken October 29, 2023 from near home in southern Alberta, with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm on the Canon R5.
    Refracted Moonrise (Oct 29, 2023).jpg
  • The Full Hunter's Moon of October 28, 2023, with contrast enhanced to bring out the differences in shading and colours on the lunar disk, and the bright rays from craters such as Tycho at bottom, and also the surrounding deep blue moonlit sky. The Moon was a few hours past full at this time, after a partial lunar eclipse earlier in the day that was visible from Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere, but not from my location. Even the penumbral eclipse was over by the time I shot this early in my evening in clearing skies. <br />
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This is a single image with the Askar APO120 refractor and its 1.0x Flattener for 840mm focal length and with the Canon R5, here with the full frame.
    Hunter's Full Moon (Oct 28, 202...jpg
  • The "Super Blue Moon" of August 30, 2023 rising over a yet-to-be-harvested wheatfield in southern Alberta, on the night of August 30, 2023. This was the second Full Moon of the month (making it a "blue Moon" by popular definition) and it was the closest Full Moon of 2023 (making it also a "super Moon" by another popular definition). <br />
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I shot this from home as the weather prospects looked poor; in fact an hour earlier it was blowing a gale and peltiing rain. But the sky was clear enough to the southeast at moonrise to get a good view of the Moon in a deep blue twilight sky. Dust in the air made the Moon quite yellow, as it often is at moonrise around harvest time. Though this was not the official Harvest Moon. <br />
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This is a panorama (stitched in Camera Raw) of 6 exposures for the ground and sky, each 2.5 seconds with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 300mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400 and in 1.6x crop mode. I blended in a single short exposure of 1/8 second for the Moon to retain detail in its disk, as the contrast between sky and Moon was too great, with the Moon rising about 30 minutes after sunset this night. I added a mild Orton glow with Nik Collection Color EFX.
    Super Blue Moon Panorama (Aug 30, 20...jpg
  • The Sun setting in a smoky and cloudy sky over the just-harvested grain field, near home in southern Alberta. In fact, the harvester machines were working the field as I shot this. This was September 3, 2023. <br />
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A handheld shot in auto exposure and autofocus, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens and Canon R5. Noise reduction with ON1 NoNoise AI and a mild glow effect added with Luminar Neo.
    Sunset over Harvested Field.jpg
  • The "Super Blue Moon" of August 30, 2023 rising over a yet-to-be-harvested wheatfield in southern Alberta, on the night of August 30, 2023. This was the second Full Moon of the month (making it a "blue Moon" by popular definition) and it was the closest Full Moon of 2023 (making it also a "super Moon" by another popular definition). <br />
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I shot this from home as the weather prospects looked poor; in fact an hour earlier it was blowing a gale and peltiing rain. But the sky was clear enough to the southeast at moonrise to get a good view of the Moon in a deep blue twilight sky. Dust in the air made the Moon quite yellow, as it often is at moonrise around harvest time. Though this was not the official Harvest Moon. <br />
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This is a blend of exposures with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 360mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 400 and in 1.6x crop mode: a long 1.3-second exposure for the sky and ground, and a single short exposure of 1/6 second for the Moon to retain detail in its disk, as the contrast between sky and Moon was too great, with the Moon rising about 30 minutes after sunset this night. I added a mild Orton glow with Nik Collection Color EFX.
    Rising Blue SuperMoon (Aug 30, 2023).jpg
  • This was the nearly Full Moon on August 29, 2023, on the night before the official "Super Blue Full Moon" of August 30. I shot it here when it was low in the sky and yellowed by smoke and dust, and set in the deep blue twilight sky, and above the golden harvested grain field. It had only just cleared low cloud and haze to become fully visible at this point. <br />
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This was also not the official Harvest Moon for the year, as that was the next month in September. But in late August 2023 the harvest was well underway in my area. <br />
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Taken from near home in southern Alberta, on a smoky night. <br />
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This is a panorama of six frames, all with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 183mm and f/9, with the Canon R5 at ISO 400 for 0.6 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Full Moon over Harvested Field (Aug ...jpg
  • The waning gibbous Moon in clouds above a combine harvester at work in a wheat field, on September 2, 2023. <br />
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This contrasts the natural light of the Moon with the artificial headlights of the farm machinery. While this was not a full Moon and was not the Harvest Moon (that was at the end of September this year), this serves as an illustration of the origin of "Harvest Moon" as the autumn Moon that provides light for the annual harvest to allow it to continue into the night, as here. But that no longer applies with modern machinery. <br />
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This is a blend of 8 exposures for the Moon and sky, from a long 2 seconds to qa short 1/250 second, to retain detail on the Moon while bringing out the sky and clouds, all taken before the combine entered the frame, then a single 1/10-second exposure taken for the combine once it entered the frame moments later, with one chance to get the shot with the combine in the right place for a good "rule of thirds" composition. The exposure blend was necessary to capture the scene as the eye saw it. The camera did not move. <br />
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All with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 104mm and f/4 and Canon R6 at ISO 3200 to keep exposures short. Blended with Lights luminosity masks with Lumenzia. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
    Moon and Harvester (Sept 2, 2023).jpg
  • On August 24, 2023 the waxing gibbous Moon occulted the bright star Antares in Scorpius. This is the scene about 30 minutes after the star reappeared from behind the moving Moon, and so here is a close conjunction. I missed capturing the actual occultation reappearance, though that would have been in a much brighter sky. And the Moon was low in my sky and amid the trees, here purposefully included to capture the scene low in the south, as Antares always is in late summer from my latitude of 51° N. .<br />
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This is a blend of 8 exposures from 2.5 seconds for the sky, foreground and stars, to 1/50 second for the lunar disk, to preserve details on the Moon. Blended with luminosity masks created with TK9 Actions, but adjusted with feathering to smooth the blends. All with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm lens at 200mm, untracked. A mild Orton glow was added with Luminar Neo. Hot pixels in the ground removed with a D&S filter on a stamped layer with a Darken blend mode.
    Moon and Antares Conjunction (Aug 24...jpg
  • This was the nearly Full Moon on August 29, 2023, on the night before the official "Super Blue Full Moon" of August 30. I shot it here when it was still low in the sky and yellowed by smoke and dust, and set in the deep blue twilight sky. <br />
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Taken from near home in southern Alberta, on a smoky night. <br />
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A single shot with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 400mm and f/9, with the Canon R5 at ISO 400 for 0.6 seconds.
    Full Moon in Blue Sky (Aug 29, 2023).jpg
  • The rising of the August 1, 2023 "supermoon" Full Moon, over the Bow River and valley, on the Siksika Nation lands, in the heart of the traditional Blackfoot Confederacy territory in southern Alberta, Canada. <br />
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While called the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular press, that name wouldn't apply here where the traditional Blackfoot name for this Full Moon of summer might be Okonokiistsiotsitai'tsspi , which means Moon When Saskatoons Ripen, though that would not be my place to make that call! It could also be the previous Moon in the calendar, Moon of the Long Rains, or Misamsootaato'si. With two Full Moons this month of August in 2023 which one is which is hard to say. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 100mm on the Canon R5. Mild Classical Soft Focus and Pro Contrast filters added with Nik Collection ColorEFX.
    Moonrise over Bow River (Aug 1, 2023...jpg
  • The rising of the August 1, 2023 "supermoon" Full Moon, over the Bow River and valley, on the Siksika Nation lands, the heart of the Blackfoot Confederacy lands in southern Alberta, Canada. <br />
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While called the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular press, that name wouldn't apply here where the traditional Blackfoot name for this Full Moon of summer might be Okonokiistsiotsitai'tsspi , which means Moon When Saskatoons Ripen, though that would not be my place to make that call. It could also be the previous Moon in the calendar, Moon of the Long Rains, Misamsootaato'si. With two Full Moons this month of August in 2023 which one is which is hard to say. <br />
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This is a blend of two exposures, 1 second for the Moon and 4 seconds for all else, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 135mm on the Canon R5. Mild Pro Contrast and Classical Soft Focus filters added with Nik Collection 6 ColorEFX.
    Moonrise over Bow River (Aug 1, 2023...jpg
  • The Full Moon of July 31, 2023 rising at the end of a long line of high tension towers across the prairie near Milo, Alberta. Some smoke in the air made the rising Moon even redder than normal, making it look like an eclipsed Moon. This night the alignment of the rising point of the Full Moon coincided with the angle of the powerlines off to the southeast at 135° azimuth. <br />
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This was the evening before the day of actual Full Moon, which ocurred at midday August 1, so the Moon the evening before was almost as full as it would be the next night, and the alignment was better this night. This was also a "supermoon," being a Full Moon close to lunar perigee. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon RF7-200mm lens at 200mm anf f/4 on the Canon R5 at ISO 100. A mild soft focus effect added with Nik Collection 6 Color EFX.
    Supermoon Rise (July 31, 2023) #1.jpg
  • The Full Moon of July 31, 2023 rising at the end of a long line of high tension towers across the prairie near Milo, Alberta. Some smoke in the air made the rising Moon even redder than normal, making it look like an eclipsed Moon. This night the alignment of the rising point of the Full Moon coincided with the angle of the powerlines off to the southeast at 135° azimuth. <br />
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This was the evening before the day of actual Full Moon, which ocurred at midday August 1, so the Moon the evening before was almost as full as it would be the next night, and the alignment was better this night. This was also a "supermoon," being a Full Moon close to lunar perigee. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon RF7-200mm lens at 200mm anf f/4 on the Canon R5 at ISO 100. A mild soft focus effect added with Nik Collection 6 Color EFX.
    Supermoon Rise (July 31, 2023) #2.jpg
  • A sunset in smoky skies from home in Alberta, July 18, 2023, with a yellow canola field and irrigation boom in the foregroumd. The Sun has several dark sunspots on its disk.<br />
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This is a single exposure with the RF100-400mm lens at 225mm and the Canon R5.
    Smoky Sunset (July 18, 2023).jpg
  • The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above Venus on July 20, 2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night, so not a close conjunction. Venus is also a thin crescent but at this scale the phase of Venus is not obvious. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon RF70-200mm lens and Canon R5. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar Neo
    Crescent Moon and Venus (July 20, 20...jpg
  • The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon of July 20, 2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon RF70-200mm lens and Canon R5. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar Neo
    Crescent Moon in Sunset Colors.jpg
  • The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above the crescent Venus on July 20, 2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night, so not a close conjunction. <br />
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This combines a single exposure with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 108mm to frame both worlds, with a close-up inset of Venus added that was taken a few minutes later with the lens at 200mm, to better show the tiny crescent phase of Venus, similar to the Moon this night. Both were with the Canon R5. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar Neo
    Crescent Moon and Venus with Close-U...jpg
  • This is the active Sun on July 9, 2023, with numerous sunspot groups across the disk, including the very large region AR3363 at lower left that had just turned into view. At top is the pair of spots comprising AR3361, and at lower right another pair AR3366. Bright faculae are visible on the darker limbs of the Sun as well as the general fine granulation across the surface. North is approximately up here. <br />
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This is a single image, selected from nearly 350 taken within the space of a few seconds using the Canon R5 in high-speed continuous burst mode at about 20 fps, with purely electronic shutter and with the camera in crop-frame mode to reduce the frame size and crop into the solar disk. This was through the Astro-Physics 130mm refractor with a 2X Barlow lens for f/12 and 1600mm focal length, and for 1/250 second at ISO 100. The scope had a full aperture Kendrick/Baader Mylar filter on it. The yellow coloration was added in processing. <br />
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Taken as part of practising and testing for the upcoming solar eclipses.
    Sun and Sunspots (July 9, 2023).jpg
  • This is the active Sun on July 8, 2023, with numerous sunspot groups across the disk, including the very large region AR3363 at lower left that had just turned into view. At top is the pair of spots comprising AR3361, and at lower right another pair AR3366. Bright faculae are visible on the darker limbs of the Sun, as well as the general fine granulation across the surface. North is approximately up here. <br />
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This is a single image, selected from nearly 350 taken within the space of a few seconds using the Canon R5 in high-speed continuous burst mode at about 20 fps, with purely electronic shutter and with the camera in crop-frame mode to reduce the frame size and crop into the solar disk. This was through the Astro-Physics 130mm refractor with a 2X Barlow lens for f/12 and 1600mm focal length, and for 1/400 second at ISO 100. The scope had a full aperture Kendrick/Baader Mylar filter on it. The yellow coloration was added in processing. <br />
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Taken as part of practising and testing for the upcoming solar eclipses.
    Sun and Sunspots (July 8, 2023).jpg
  • The conjunction of the waxing crescent Moon with Venus (bright and below) and Mars (dim and to the left) on June 21, 2023, summer solstice evening, with the worlds in clouds in the colourful twilight sky. Earthshine is just visible on the dark side of the Moon, despite the obscuring clouds. <br />
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This was with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 118mm and f/4 on the Canon R5 at ISO 400. This is a blend of 7 untracked exposures from 1/8 sec to 2 seconds, blended with Lights 2 luminosity masks created with TK8 panel, to retain the bright lunar crescent amid the clouds and the long exposure needed for the sky and Earthshine.
    Moon, Venus and Mars (June 21, 2023).jpg
  • The conjunction of the waxing crescent Moon with Venus on June 21, 2023, summer solstice evening, with the worlds in twilight clouds.<br />
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This was with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4, on the Canon R5 at ISO 100 for 1/60 second.
    Moon & Venus in Twilight (200mm).jpg
  • The conjunction of the waxing crescent Moon with Venus on June 21, 2023, summer solstice evening, with the worlds in clouds in the deep blue twilight sky.<br />
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This was with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 300mm and f/8 on the Canon R5 at ISO 400 for 1/20 second.
    Moon & Venus in Twilight (300mm).jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of May 5, 2023, coming up over the Red Deer River near East Coulee, Alberta.  The Moon is illuminating the water with a fine golden glitter path. <br />
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This is a blend with luminosity masks of 7 exposures to bring out the foreground while retaining details in the lunar disk, all at f/4 with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 94mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 200. Site and angle planned with The Photographer's Ephemeris app.
    Moonrise over Red Deer River.jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of May 5, 2023, coming up over the Red Deer River near East Coulee, Alberta. This is a panorama of the Badlands scene, with the site planned with The Photographer's Ephemeris app.<br />
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This is a 5-section panorama, with each segment a 3.2-second exposure at f/5.6 with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 94mm, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. A short 0.3-second exposure of the Moon taken moments after the last pan segment was blended in to preserve details in the lunar disk. The pan segments were stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Moonrise over Red Deer River (May 5,...jpg
  • The rising of the Full Moon just before Easter weekend, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, with Good Friday two days later on April 7. The Moon appears quite pink and in a bright blue sky, as moonrise this night was a few minutes before sunset. However, the Sun was in clouds to the northwest and not lighting the foreground. <br />
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This is a single exposure, on auto exposure with -2/3rd stop compensation, with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 400mm on the Canon R5. Shot from home in southern Alberta.
    Easter Full Moonrise (April 5, 2023).jpg
  • The conjunction of the waxing 4-day-old crescent Moon below the Pleiades, and set in a slightly hazy sky on March 25, 2023. The haze adds the colourful "lunar corona" halo around the bright crescent of the Moon from diffraction effects in the high icy clouds. Shot before the sky got dark, the remaining twilight adds the blue to the background sky. Earthshine is visible on the dark side of the Moon.<br />
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This is a blend of 9 exposures, from 1/160 second to 6 seconds, to retain the bright crescent while recording the faint stars and Earthshine. All at ISO 400 with the Canon R5 and through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor at f/4.5 for a focal length of 340mm. The field of view is similar to 10x binoculars. <br />
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Exposures were blended not with HDR or luminosity masks but with Blend If settings applied with the Blake Rudis f64 Blend-If extension panel in Photoshop, which makes it easier to apply and adjust the blend points and feathering of the blends. Diffraction spikes added for artistic effect to make the stars "sparkle" using the Astronomy Tools actions. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar Neo to make the overall scene "pop."
    Moon and Pleiades (March 25, 2023).jpg
  • The thin one-day-old crescent Moon just above Jupiter as both set on the evening of March 22, 2023. The Earthshine glow is obvious on the dark side of the Moon. The age of the Moon was about 31.5 hours this night at this time and longitude.<br />
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This is a single 1.6-second untracked shot with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 270mm and f/8 (wide open at this focal length), on the Canon Ra at ISO 3200 to keep the exposure time short and with the Ra's red sensitivity enhancing the twilight colours. Topaz DeNoise AI applied to smooth the high ISO noise. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar Neo.
    Thin Moon and Jupiter Setting (March...jpg
  • The setting Sun descending into a fog bank looking due west, on the evening of the vernal equinox, March 20, 2023. The fog dims and reddens the Sun, illustrating atmospheric absorption, and refraction as the solar disk is quite flattened. A couple of sunspots are just visible. The colour gradient is natural and comes from the blend of fog below and clearer twilight sky above. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the RF100-400mm lens at 400mm on the Canon R5. Autofocused on the Sun.
    The Setting Sun in Fog.jpg
  • The rising Full "Wolf" Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. The sequence demonstrates the changes in colour of the rising Moon from atmospheric absorption, and changes in its shape from atmospheric refraction.<br />
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This night the Moon was full almost at the same time as it rose from my location. However, the Moon's high northerly declination — it was about 4° north of the ecliptic — meant that it rose far to the northeast and some 30 minutes before the Sun set, despite the Moon being opposite the Sun. As such, even for the last shot, with the Moon several Moon diameters in altitude, the Sun was still up and lighting the landscape. In fact, at that time the Sun broke through clouds in the southwest to light the foreground with warm light.<br />
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In this blend, the ground and majority of the sky comes from the final image with the highest Moon and warmest landscape lighting. For the earlier shots the Moon came up in a very bright sky. And so, to better represent the scene, some of the sky coloration — the magentas and cyans — comes from earlier exposures blended in with broad-brush masks. Dark anti-crepuscular rays also added subtle sky colouration and bands of darker blue. <br />
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This is a sequence of 9 images at an interval of 2.5 minutes, extracted from a set of 80 frames taken every 15 seconds with the camera on automatic exposure, as the sky and ground remained bright enough for an accurate meter reading. The first 8 Moons are masked and layered in with a Lighten blend mode. <br />
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All images were the Canon R5 at ISO 125 and Canon RF100-400mm lens at 281mm and f/8. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. Glow and dynamic contrast filters added with ON1 Effects plug-in.
    Winter Moonrise Sequence (R5 RF100-4...jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. Here the Moon is set in the pink Belt of Venus and with dark blue crepuscular rays (or more correctly, anti-crepuscular rays) converging on the point directly opposite the Sun. The rays are shadows cast by clouds in the west, which parted enough for a few moments for the setting Sun to light the foreground, making for a colourful contrast between ground and sky. <br />
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This night — and this year — the winter Full Moon (popularly called the Wolf Moon) was at a particularly high declination north of the ecliptic, about 4° above the ecliptic. So it rose more to the north than it normally would. This geometry is evident here in that the Moon lies well above (north of) the point where the shadows are converging to, which would be the position of the anti-Sun point on the ecliptic. This was the night of the Full Moon — in fact, the time of Full Moon almost exactly coincided with moonrise for me. However, the high declination of the Moon meant it rose about 30 minutes before sunset, so it rose into quite a bright sky, and was well up by the time the sky darkened enough to show these twilight colours. The next night the Moon, now a day past full, rose 30 minutes after sunset into a much darker sky. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon Ra and Canon RF70-200mm lens at 94mm. The red-sensitive Ra helps bring out the Belt of Venus colours. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. A mild glow layer added in Photoshop with the Radiant Photo plug-in.
    Winter Moonrise in Crepuscular Rays ...jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of January 6, 2023 over the Badlands of Horseshoe Canyon, near Drumheller, Alberta. Here the Moon is set a dark blue crepuscular ray (or more correctly, anti-crepuscular ray) converging on the point directly opposite the Sun. The ray was a shadow cast by clouds in the west, which parted enough for a few moments for the setting Sun to light the foreground, making for a colourful contrast between ground and sky. <br />
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This is a single exposure with the Canon R5 and Canon RF100-400mm lens at 236mm. Most processing in Adobe Camera Raw with ground and sky masks. A mild glow layer added to the ground in Photoshop with Luminar Neo.
    Winter Moonrise over Badlands (R5 10...jpg
  • This is the waxing gibbous Moon (11.7 days old) near reddish Mars (above the Moon), and with reddish Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster below. All are set in a swirl of clouds, looking like they are in an interstellar nebula. Diffraction from ice crystals in the clouds adds the colourful corona around the Moon. This was the Moon-Mars conjunction of January 3, 2023. Mars was then about a month past opposition. <br />
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This is a blend of 8 exposures, from 8 seconds to 1/500th second, to compress the high dynamic range in brightness and recreate the view more as the eye saw it. Exposures blended with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia. All frames were with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 100mm and f/5.6, and on the Canon R5 at ISO 400. The camera was on a tracking mount to prevent the stars from trailing. Diffraction spikes added for artistic effect with AstronomyTools Actions. A mild Orton Glow added with Nik Collection/Color EFX.
    Moon, Mars and Hyades (Jan 3, 2023).jpg
  • This is the waxing gibbous Moon (11.7 days old) near reddish Mars (at upper right), both set in a swirl of clouds, looking like they are in an interstellar nebula. Diffraction from ice crystals in the clouds adds the colourful corona around the Moon. This was the Moon-Mars conjunction of January 3, 2023. Mars was then about a month past opposition. <br />
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This is a blend of 6 exposures, from 5 seconds to 1/200th second, to compress the high dynamic range in brightness and recreate the view more as the eye saw it. Exposures blended with luminosity masks. All were with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 300mm and f/8, and on the Canon R5 at ISO 400. The camera was on a tracking mount to prevent the stars from trailing. Diffraction spikes on Mars added for artistic effect with AstronomyTools Actions. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar Neo.
    Moon and Mars (Jan 3, 2023).jpg
  • The first quarter Moon near the planet Jupiter (at right) amid a hazy sky adding a colourful diffraction effect around the Moon — a lunar "corona." <br />
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This is a blend of 6 exposures, from 8 seconds to 1/125th second, two stops apart, all at f/7.1 with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 174mm and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Blended with luminosity masks to retain details on the disk of the Moon but with it set in the bright halo and moonlit sky. Jupiter at right mostly comes from the 2-second exposure, to minimize its trailing in this set of untracked camera-on-tripod exposures. The background sky and trailed stars come from the longest exposure. <br />
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This was partly a test of this new lens as it was used here straight out of the box for the first time on this scene.
    Quarter Moon & Jupiter (Dec 29, ...jpg
  • A close-up view of the reappearance of Mars from behind the disk of the Full Moon, during the December 7, 2022 occultation of Mars. <br />
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Some of the dark mare areas covered in volcanic dust are visible on the disk of Mars, contrasting with the dark volcanic mare areas of the Moon. The region on the lunar limb that Mars is rising behind is the dark area called Mare Smythii. The main mare or "terra" region on Mars visible here is Mare Cimmerium. On the Moon's disk, Mare Crisium is at top, while below it is Mare Fecunditatis, with the prominent rayed crater Messier A. <br />
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This is a crop in from a single frame, not a stack, grabbed from the 8K video file taken with a Canon R5 camera shooting through the Astro-Physics 130mm refractor with a 2X Barlow, for a focal length of 1560mm at f/12. This frame had the best sharpness of many, as the seeing conditions were quite blurry for most of the time. Colour grading of the Canon Log3 video file was with Pixelmator Pro's new video editing functions, which included doing the crop.
    Occultation of Mars Reappearance Clo...jpg
  • This is the occultation of Mars by the Full Moon on December 7, 2022, in a composite showing the motion of Mars relative to the Moon. The motion here is from left to right. However, while this composite makes it look like Mars was doing the moving, it was really the Moon that was passing in front of Mars. But for this sequence I set the telescope mount to track the Moon at its rate of motion against the background stars and Mars, to keep the Moon more or less stationary on the frame while Mars and the background sky passed behind it. <br />
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Mars was at opposition this night and so was the Moon, so the Moon was full and Mars was at its brightest for this appearance in 2022. The size of the Martian disk was 17 arc seconds across this night and its magnitude was -1.8. Mars is twice the actual size of the Moon, but appears tiny here due to its greater distance — some 206 times farther away than the Moon. This night, the Moon was 397,000 kilometres away, near is apogee point, while Mars was 82 million kilometres away, a week after its closest approach.  <br />
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This is a blend of 40 exposures (20 pre-ingress at left and 20 post-egress at right) that each contained the Moon and Mars. The Moon image here is a single exposure taken at the end of the sequence when the sky was clearest. However, for many of the images, especially pre-ingress, the Moon and Mars were in light cloud and haze, adding the glow around the Moon. The sky is from a blend of all the images. <br />
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I shot images at one per minute, but used only every second frame here, so the images are two minutes apart, taken over 40 minutes on ether side of ingress and egress.<br />
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Each is a unique image subject to varying seeing conditions blurring some of the Mars disks more than others. This is not a composite made of the same "best" Mars image copied and pasted along what its path should have been. Even so, I still had to adjust the alignment somewhat for each image, as the field still drifted out over several minutes of tracking,
    Mars Occultation Composite (Dec 7, 2...jpg
  • Mars is about to be occulted by the Full Moon on December 7, 2022. This is ingress with the eastward moving (i.e. right to left here) Moon about to cover up Mars on the Moon's western limb. The sky had thin cloud adding the colourful halo, or "corona," around the Moon, so the sky is not black. <br />
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Mars was at opposition this night and so was the Moon, so the Moon was full and Mars was at its brightest for this appearance in 2022. The size of the Martian disk was 17 arc seconds across this night and its magnitude was -1.8. Mars is twice the actual size of the Moon, but appears tiny here due to its greater distance — some 206 times farther away than the Moon. This night, the Moon was 397,000 kilometres away, near is apogee point, while Mars was 82 million kilometres away, a week after its closest approach.  <br />
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This is a single 1/80-second exposure — it is not an exposure blend or composite — with the Canon R5 camera at ISO 400 and on the Astro-Physics 130EDT refractor with a 2x Barlow for an effective focal length of 1560mm at f/12. I've processed the image for high contrast on the lunar disk (using a Subject mask in Camera Raw) to emphasize its lunar seas and bright ray structures, such as from the crater Tycho at bottom, a relatively recent impact. I also brought out the sky colours from the clouds for added effect.
    Full Moon and Mars at Occultation (D...jpg
  • The rising of the Full "Hunter's Moon" of October 9, 2022, with the Moon reflected in the calm waters this night at Crawling Lake Reservoir in southern Alberta. The Moon appeared very pink as it rose into the clear sky near the horizon.<br />
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This is a single image with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and Canon R5. There is also a composite time-lapse version of this, as this was one frame from a set of 110 frames taken this night as the Moon rose.
    Reflected Moonrise at Crawling Lake ...jpg
  • The rising of the Full "Hunter's Moon" of October 9, 2022, with the Moon reflected in the calm waters this night at Crawling Lake Reservoir in southern Alberta. The Moon appeared very pink as it rose into the clear sky near the horizo, then turned more yellow as it rose into scattered bands of cloud. <br />
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This serves as a goo demo of the Moon illusion and how the Moon does not change size as it rises — it is the same size on the horizon as it is higher up.<br />
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This is a blend of 10 images taken 3 minutes apart with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and Canon R5, each frame exposed for the Moon. The frames were blended onto the first image (which contributes the lowest Moon and all the sky and foreground) in Photoshop using a Normal blend mode but with Blend If sliders and masks to isolate the later moons and reflected moons. <br />
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There is also a single-image version of this scene.
    Reflected Moonrise at Crawling Lake ...jpg
  • The rising of the nearly Full Moon on October 8, 2022, the Hunter's Moon. This was the evening before the official day of Full Moon. Jupiter is just at upper right. <br />
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This is a single shot with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4 on the Canon R5. Taken from near home in southern Alberta.
    Hunter's Moonrise (Oct 8, 2022).jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of September 9, 2022, the Harvest Moon for 2022, coming up over a rolling harvested prairie field near home in southern Alberta, on a very clear evening.<br />
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This is a composite of 11 exposures blended with Lighter Color mode onto the base layer exposure of the Moon just coming up and the sky and ground. The subsequent exposures were shot at increasingly shorter shutter speeds to preserve the colour and brightness of the Moon's disk (ie. exposing for the Moon not the sky or ground). Shot at 1 minute intervals, but exposures taken every 3 minutes were selected for the composite except at the start when atmospheric refraction makes the Moon rise faster than it does later in the sequence. <br />
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All were shot with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm lens at 200mm.
    Harvest Moonrise Composite (Sept 9, ...jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of September 9, 2022, the Harvest Moon for 2022, coming up over a rolling harvested prairie field near home in southern Alberta, on a very clear evening.<br />
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This is a single shot with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm f/4 lens at 200mm and f/8.
    Harvest Moonrise (Sept 9, 2022).jpg
  • The thin waning crescent Moon above Venus in the dawn sky on August 25, 2022, in a portrait oriented version. <br />
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This is a single shot with the RF70-200mm lens at 110mm on the Canon R6. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions.
    Waning Moon & Venus - Portrait (...jpg
  • The thin waning crescent Moon above Venus in the dawn sky on August 25, 2022, in a landscape oriented version. <br />
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This is a single shot with the RF70-200mm lens at 70mm on the Canon R6.
    Waning Moon & Venus - Landscape ...jpg
  • The Full Moon rise of August 11, 2022 over the old grain elevator on Highway 10 at Dorothy, Alberta, in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley. This was dubbed a "supermoon" and the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular media. It just happened to rise at a location that placed it right down the south-east facing highway in the valley. <br />
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I used The Photographer's Ephemeris to locate the spot to get the shot! <br />
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This is a blend of two exposures: 6-second exposure for the ground and 1/4-second for the Moon, taken moments apart and both with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the William Optics 66mm f/7 apo refractor for a focal length of 460mm.  <br />
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I added a mild Orton glow effect to the ground with Luminar AI. Dodging and burning added with a neutral grey layer created with Lumenzia.
    Full Moonrise at Dorothy v2 (Aug 11,...jpg
  • The Full Moon rise of August 11, 2022 over the old grain elevator on Highway 10 at Dorothy, Alberta, in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley. This was dubbed a "supermoon" and the "Sturgeon Moon" in the popular media. It just happened to rise at a location that placed it right down the south-east facing highway in the valley. <br />
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I used The Photographer's Ephemeris app to locate the spot to get the shot! <br />
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This is a single 1.6-second exposure with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the William Optics 66mm f/7 apo refractor for a focal length of 460mm. However, an unending stream of cars coming down the hill and then toward me as the Moon rose made it impossible to get a shot free of headlights. And yet, in the 20 minutes prior waiting for the Moon to rise, not a car was to be seen. <br />
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I added a mild Orton glow effect to the ground with Luminar AI. Dodging and burning added with a neutral grey layer created with Lumenzia.
    Full Moonrise at Dorothy v1 (Aug 11,...jpg
  • The rising "supermoon" of July 12, 2022 embedded in the blue arc of Earth's shadow, rimmed by the pink Belt of Venus band of twilight colours, all over the badlands formations of Dinosaur Provincial Park on the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. The blue arc is the shadow of the Earth cast onto the atmosphere opposite the sunset point. The pink Belt of Venus is from red sunlight still illuminating the upper atmosphere, an effect that lasts only a few minutes at sunset or sunrise, and requires a very clear sky to show up, as it was this night. <br />
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I shot this from the upper viewpoint at the Park entrance. <br />
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You might think the Moon is rising over an Earthly "moonscape," but not so, as there is nothing like this landscape on the Moon. The Badlands here were formed by sedimentary rocks laid down in oceans and eroded by glacial runoff of water. None of that happened on the waterless Moon, where the landscape was formed by the flow of lava and the impact of asteroids. <br />
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This was the evening before the official date of Full Moon, but the timing of the moonrise and placement of the Moon well below the ecliptic meant it rose on July 12 almost at sunset with the sky still well-tinted with twilight, rather than the Moon rising into a dark sky with too great a contrast to shoot, as it did the next night, July 13 when it was the official date of the Full Moon. <br />
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This is a panorama of 7 segments, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. The original is 32,200 pixels wide, though some segments are soft from camera shake, and uneven field illumination from the lens at f/4 produced some slight bandind at the seams. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Super Moonrise Over Badlands Panoram...jpg
  • The rising "supermoon" of July 12, 2022 embedded in the blue arc of Earth's shadow, rimmed by the pink Belt of Venus band of twilight colours, all over the badlands formations of Dinosaur Provincial Park on the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. The blue band on the horizon is the shadow of the Earth cast onto the atmosphere opposite the sunset point. The pink Belt of Venus above the shadow is from red sunlight still illuminating the upper atmosphere, an effect that lasts only a few minutes at sunset or sunrise, and requires a very clear sky to show up, as it was this night. <br />
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I shot this from the upper viewpoint at the Park entrance. <br />
<br />
You might think the Moon is rising over an Earthly "moonscape," but not so, as there is nothing like this landscape on the Moon. The Badlands here were formed by sedimentary rocks laid down in oceans and eroded by glacial runoff of water. None of that happened on the waterless Moon, where the landscape was formed by the flow of lava and the impact of asteroids. <br />
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This was the evening before the official date of Full Moon, but the timing of the moonrise and placement of the Moon well below the ecliptic meant it rose on July 12 almost at sunset with the sky still well-tinted with twilight, rather than the Moon rising into a dark sky with too great a contrast to shoot, as it did the next night, July 13, when it was the official date of the Full Moon. <br />
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This is a single image, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 100.  There are also panorama versions of this scene.
    Super Moonrise Over Badlands.jpg
  • The rising "supermoon" of July 12, 2022 embedded in the blue arc of Earth's shadow, rimmed by the pink Belt of Venus band of twilight colours, all over the badlands formations of Dinosaur Provincial Park on the Red Deer River in Alberta, Canada. The blue arc is the shadow of the Earth cast onto the atmosphere opposite the sunset point. The pink Belt of Venus is from red sunlight still illuminating the upper atmosphere, an effect that lasts only a few minutes at sunset or sunrise, and requires a very clear sky to show up, as it was this night. <br />
<br />
I shot this from the upper viewpoint at the Park entrance. <br />
<br />
You might think the Moon is rising over an Earthly "moonscape," but not so, as there is nothing like this landscape on the Moon. The Badlands here were formed by sedimentary rocks laid down in oceans and eroded by glacial runoff of water. None of that happened on the waterless Moon, where the landscape was formed by the flow of lava and the impact of asteroids. <br />
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This was the evening before the official date of Full Moon, but the timing of the moonrise and placement of the Moon well below the ecliptic meant it rose on July 12 almost at sunset with the sky still well-tinted with twilight, rather than the Moon rising into a dark sky with too great a contrast to shoot, as it did the next night, July 13 when it was the official date of the Full Moon. <br />
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This is a panorama of 11 segments, with the Canon RF70-200mm lens at 87mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 100. The original is a massive 48,900 pixels wide, so there is a lot of detail! Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
    Super Moonrise in Earth's Shado...jpg
  • The waxing crescent Moon two days after New low in a smoky sky setting over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This was June 30, 2022. Despite the hazy skies, the twilight colours show up well in the sky. The glow of Earthshine shows up slightly on the night side of the Moon. <br />
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This is a blend of a single 3.2-second shot with the RF24-105mm lens at f/4 and 105mm for the sky, with a stack of four longer 13-second exposures for the darker ground at the same lens settings, and with Canon R5 at ISO 200.
    Crescent Moon Setting at Dinosaur Pa...jpg
  • The waxing crescent Moon two days after New low in a smoky sky and over the Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. This was June 30, 2022, Despite the hazy skies, the twilight colours show up well in the sky and reflected in the water. The glow of Earthshine shows up slightly on the night side of the Moon. Castor and Pollux in Gemini show up faintly at right. <br />
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This is a single 2.5-second shot with the RF24-105mm lens at f/5.6 and Canon R5 at ISO 125. Processed almost entirely in Adobe Camera Raw with masks for sky, trees, and water.
    Crescent Moon over Red Deer River.jpg
  • The conjunction of the waning crescent Moon with Venus as they were rising low in the northeast dawn sky on June 26, 2022, taken from home in southern Alberta, latitude 51° N. Earthshine is visible on the dark side of the Moon. The sky exhibits the wonderful transition of colours from the orange at the horizon through the spectrum to the blues at top.<br />
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This is a single 1-second exposure with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and f/4 on the Canon R5 at ISO 400.
    Conjunction of Moon and Venus Close-...jpg
  • A wide-angle view of the conjunction of the waning crescent Moon with Venus low in the northeast dawn sky on June 26, 2022, taken from home in southern Alberta, latitude 51° N. Earthshine is visible on the dark side of the Moon. And above are some wispy noctilucent clouds, with the star Capella at left. The sky exhibits the wonderful transition of colours from the orange at the horizon through the spectrum to the blues at top. <br />
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This is a single 0.8-second exposure with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8 on the Canon R5 at ISO 100.
    Conjunction of Moon and Venus in Twi...jpg
  • The conjunction of the waning crescent Moon with Venus low in the northeast dawn sky on June 26, 2022, taken from home in southern Alberta, latitude 51° N. Earthshine is visible on the dark side of the Moon. The sky exhibits the wonderful transition of colours from the orange at the horizon through the spectrum to the blues at top.<br />
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This is a single 0.8-second exposure with the RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and f/2.8 on the Canon R5 at ISO 100.
    Conjunction of Moon and Venus (June ...jpg
  • A conjunction of the thin waning crescent Moon rising together with Venus low in the dawn sky, and below the Pleiades star cluster at top. Earthshine is just visible on the dark side of the Moon. <br />
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This is a single 1.3-second exposure with the RF70-200mm lens at 108mm and f/4, and Canon R5 at ISO 400. Taken from home in southern Alberta at latitude 51° N.
    Moon, Venus and Pleiades (June 26, 2...jpg
  • Setting Sun over harvested field, August 31, 2012. This is an HDR stack of 6 exposures with the Canon 5D MkII and 135mm lens. Stacked with Photomatix Pro.
    Sunset Over Harvest Field (Aug 31, 2...jpg
  • The September 28, 2012 Harvest Moon, with a wind turbine from the Wintering Hills Wind Farm near Drumheller, Alberta. Taken as part of a time lapse movie sequence. Canon 5D MkII and 28-105mm lens, automatic exposure. The dark blue above the horizon is the shadow of the Earth.
    Harvest Moon & Windmill #2 (Sept...jpg
  • The September 28, 2012 Harvest Moon, with a wind turbine from the Wintering Hills Wind Farm near Drumheller, Alberta. Taken as part of a time lapse movie sequence. Canon 5D MkII and 28-105mm lens, automatic exposure.
    Harvest Moon & Windmill #1 (Sept...jpg
  • Moonrise a day after full, on Sept. 1, 2012 over swathed wheatfield. Taken from home with Canon 7D and 200mm lens. This is a single exposure.
    Moonrise (Sept 1, 2012).jpg
  • The Full Moon of August 31, 2012 (which was a "Blue Moon" -- i.e. the second Full Moon of the month) rising over a harvested field. This is a 3-exposure composite (for Moon, sky and ground to compress the range of brightness) taken with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 100 and 135mm lens. Metered exposures. Haze and smoke in the air made the rising Moon look very yellow.
    Full Moon Over Harvest (August 31, 2...jpg
  • The Full Moon of August 31, 2012 (which was a "Blue Moon" -- i.e. the second Full Moon of the month) rising over a harvested field, with windmills of the Wintering Hill wind farm. The pink Belt of Venus band is visible above the blue band above the horizon that is Earth's shadow. This is a 6-exposure HDR stack taken with the Canon 7D at ISO 100 and 16-35mm lens. Metered exposures.
    Blue Moonrise (August 31, 2012).jpg
  • Gibbous Moon over Banff townsite, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Taken July 29, 2012 with Canon 7D and 10-22mm lens at ISO 100, f/6.3 and metered. Taken in twilight. Peak is left is Mt. Rundle. Taken from Mt. Norquay viewpoint overlooking town looking south.
    Moon Over Banff Townsite (July 29, 2...jpg
  • The waxing gibbous Moon over the Rocky Mountains and Athabasca River from the overlook south of  Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, in evening twilight. Metered exposure with the Canon 7D and 10-22mm lens.
    Athabasca Moon (July 2012).jpg
  • The Sun, on June 16, 2012 with a sizable sunspot group, AR 1504. Taken with the 130mm Astro-Physics refractor at f/12 with a 2x Barlow lens and Canon 60Da camera at ISO 100 and 1/250 second. Through a Baader filter with color added in Photoshop.
    Sun & Sunspot (June 16, 2012).jpg
  • The rising waning crescent Moon on the morning of June 16, 2012, taken from home through the 130mm apo refractor at f/6 and with the Canon 60Da.
    Rising Waning Crescent Moon (June 16...jpg
  • The Full "Snow" Moon rising on February 7, 2012, above the TELUS Spark science centre in Calgary, Alberta, taken from Tom Campbell Hill overlooking the science centre and Deerfoot Trail. Metered exposure, taken with the Canon 7D and 28-135mm Canon lens.
    Rising Full Snow Moon over TELUS Spa...jpg
  • Rising Full Moon on January 8, 2012, with the Moon rising nearly synchronous with the setting Sun for good lighting. Taken with 200mm lens and 1.4x Extender and Canon 7D camera.  Pink Belt of Venus twilight glow is prominent here. Some green rim visible on top limb of the Moon with the Moon's disk squashed from refraction. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
    Full Moonrise (Jan 8, 2012) #1.jpg
  • The rising waning crescent Moon west of the trio of dawn planets: Venus (brightest), Mars (to the right) and Saturn (to the lower left) clustered together low in the southeast on March 27, 2022. They were all grouped in Capricornus at this time. This was from home in Alberta at my latitude of 51° N. The Moon was unusually low as it was near its maximum of 5° below the ecliptic at this time. By coincidence, the band of darker clouds more or less marks the line of the ecliptic. <br />
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This is a single shot with the RF70-200mm lens at 80mm and f/4 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 400 for 3.2 seconds.
    Moon and Three Planets at Dawn (Marc...jpg
  • The nearly Full Moon rising on March 18 near the date of the March equinox (March 20 this year) , so it rose nearly due east this night. This March Moon is also popularly called the Worm Moon.<br />
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The Moon was a day past Full this night, and clouds hid the Moon at moonrise. By the time it appeared from behind the cloud bank it was a little south of due east and the east-west prairie road. <br />
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This is a 7-exposure blend to retain detail in the lunar disk while bringing out the ground. Exposures ranged from 1/10 second to 25 seconds, all with the RF70-200mm lens at f/8 and Canon Ra at ISO 400. Blended with ADP Pro luminosity masking panel. Taken from near home in southern Alberta.
    Rising Moon at Equinox (March 18, 20...jpg
  • This is the wide conjunction of the 1.5-day-old crescent Moon below Jupiter in the southwest evening sky of February 2, 2022. The two worlds appeared 4.5° apart at this time. Earthshine is visible on the "dark side of the Moon." <br />
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Taken from home in southern Alberta on an evening with the temperature at -20° C and a brisk wind! <br />
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This is a single 1.6-second exposure with the Canon 70-200mm f/4 RF lens at f/4 and 84mm focal length, and with the Canon Ra camera at ISO 100. Diffraction spikes on Jupiter added with Astronomy Tools actions.
    Waxing Moon and Jupiter (Feb 2, 2022...jpg
  • The rising nearly Full Moon of December 19, 2021, above a snowy prairie scene with a lone tree, and the cold blue twilight lighting the snow, contrasting with the pink of the Belt of Venus above. The Moon is partly in a narrow band of cloud and is exhibiting a slight green flash phenomenon on its distorted upper edge, and red limb on its lower edge from atmospheric dispersion. <br />
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This is a single 0.3-second exposure with the 24-105mm RF lens at 105mm and f/8 and red-sensitive Canon Ra at ISO 100.
    Rising Cold Winter Moon v1 (Dec 19, ...jpg
  • The rising nearly Full Moon of December 19, 2021, above a snowy prairie scene with a lone tree, and with the cold blue twilight lighting the snow, contrasting with the pink of the Belt of Venus above. <br />
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This is a two-exposure blend: a 0.5-second image for all, except for a 1/8-second exposure for the Moon itself to preserve the colour of the lunar disk. Blended with BlendIf in Photoshop. Exposures taken moments apart with the 24-105mm RF lens at 105mm and f/8 and Canon Ra at ISO 100.
    Rising Cold Winter Moon v2 (Dec 19, ...jpg
  • The rising of the full Moon of October, the Hunter's Moon, in 2021. Taken from home in southern Alberta. Clouds thwarted plans to travel elsewhere but as it turned out the Moon rose into a clear band allowing a last-minute shoot from home. <br />
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This is a 4-exposure blend to take in the dark ground without overexposing the Moon, with the 200mm lens at f/11 on the Canon Ra camera at ISO 400. Blended with ADP Pro luminosity masks. A mild Orton Glow added with Luminar AI.
    Hunter's Moonrise (Oct 20, 2021...jpg
  • A telescopic close-up of the full Harvest Moon rising over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park on September 20, 2021. <br />
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This is a single 0.8-second exposure taken as part of a time-lapse sequence, shot through a 76mm f/4.4 refractor telescope for an effective focal length of 335mm using the Canon R6 at ISO 100. Luminosity masks created with TKActions v8 applied to enhance the contrast of the foreground. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI.
    Harvest Moon at Dinosaur Park (SS76 ...jpg
  • Sunset at the September equinox, in this case on September 22, 2021, which was the evening of the day of equinox this year, which occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 22. Thus the Sun is settting very close to due west, marked by the direction of the prairie highway. After the date of the September equinox the Sun sets farther to the south of west, until the December solstice. I shot hiis to illustrate the equinox alignment.<br />
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This is a 7-exposure blend, from a short 1/3200-second image for essentially just the Sun's disk, to 1/50th second for the sky and foreground. All were with the 24-105mm RF lens at f/11 and 105mm, and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. The images were blended not with HDR but with luminosity masks created with the ADP Pro (aka Lumiflow) extension panel for Photoshop, which does an auto-blend for up to 7 images. I added a mild Orton glow effect with Luminar AI. Dodge and burn touchups added with TKActions v8.<br />
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I shot this same scene from the same location the evening before, thinking this night would be too cloudy. But clouds cleared off just in time to shoot the sunset.
    Equinox Sunset (Sept 22, 2021).jpg
  • Moonrise near the September equinox, in this case on the evening of September 21, 2021, which was the evening before the day of equinox this year, which occurred in the afternoon of Sept. 22. The Moon was a day past Full as the Harvest Moon. But the position of the Moon below the ecliptic this year meant it rose closer to due east this night, the night after Full. The Moon of course is usually not Full at an equinox. But when it is, as it almost was this year, it rises close to due east and sets close to due west, as the Sun does, because the Full Moon lies opposite the Sun. The Moon actually rose a little north of due east this night. The star at left is Capella.<br />
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This is a 7-exposure blend, in auto-bracketed sequence from a short 1/10 second image for essentially just the Moon's disk, to 6 seconds for the sky and foreground. All were with the 24-105mm RF lens at f/5.6 and 105mm, and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 400. The images were blended not with HDR but with luminosity masks created with the ADP Pro (aka Lumiflow) extension panel for Photoshop, which does an auto-blend for up to 7 images. I added a mild Orton glow effect with Luminar AI.
    Equinox Moonrise (Sept 21, 2021).jpg
  • Sunset near the September equinox, in this case on September 21, 2021, which was the evening before the day of equinox this year, which occurred in the afternoon of Sept. 22. Thus the Sun is settting just a bit north of due west, marked by the direction of the prairie highway. The evening of September 22 proved too cloudy for taking this type of image. Nevertheless, this image serves to illustrate the due west setting point of an equinoctial Sun. After the date of the September equinox the Sun sets farther to the south of west, until the December solstice. <br />
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This is a 7-exposure blend, from a short 1/8000 second image for essentially just the Sun's disk, to 1/250th second for the sky and foreground. All were with the 24-105mm RF lens at f/8 and 105mm, and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. The images were blended not with HDR but with luminosity masks created with the ADP Pro (aka Lumiflow) extension panel for Photoshop, which does an auto-blend for up to 7 images. I added a mild Orton glow effect with Luminar AI. <br />
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About 40 minutes after this image, I shot a matching image of the rising Moon from a location a few hundred metres away down the same highway.
    Equinox Sunset (Sept 21, 2021).jpg
  • The Harvest Full Moon rising over the Badlands landscape of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on September 20, 2021. <br />
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This is a single 1.6-second exposure for the sky and ground, blended with a shorter exposure for the Moon's disk to present the view more as the eye saw it. Taken with the Canon EOS Ra and 24-105mm RF zoom at 80mm. Dodging and burning with TKActions and a mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI.
    Harvest Moonrise over Badlands (105m...jpg
  • The Full Moon of July 23, 2021, amid obscuring smoke from forest fires in B.C. Taken from home in a blend of 3 exposures: long for the ground, moderate for the sky and short for the Moon's disk itself. All with the 24-105mm RF lens on the Canon R6.
    Smoky Full Moon of July 2021.jpg
  • A comparison of the Sun with Earth at perihelion (closest to the Sun) on January 5, 2020 vs. the Sun with Earth near aphelion (farthest from the Sun) on July 8, 2021, showing the slight difference in size of the Sun's disk due to Earth's changing distance from the Sun through the year. For this version I superimposed both images and split them down the middle. <br />
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Earth was 152,100,527 kilometres from the Sun on the actual day of aphelion, July 5 (which was cloudy!) and 147,091,144 km from the Sun on January 5, 2020. <br />
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On January 5, 2020 the Sun was at the closest perihelion of the 21st century (though by only a tiny margin), making for the largest solar disk we will see. So that made this a “supersun!” <br />
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The disk was virtually spotless both days. <br />
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I shot both with the same equipmment — the Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm refractor, with AP 2X Barlow for f/12 and with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100. The filter was the glass Thousand Oaks metal-on-glass filter which imparts a yellow tone to the image.
    Sun at Perihelion & Aphelion Com...jpg
  • A comparison of the Sun with Earth at perihelion (closest to the Sun) on January 5, 2020 vs. the Sun with Earth near aphelion (farthest from the Sun) on July 8, 2021, showing the slight difference in size of the Sun's disk due to Earth's changing distance from the Sun through the year. <br />
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Earth was 152,100,527 kilometres from the Sun on the actual day of aphelion, July 5 (which was cloudy!), and 147,091,144 km from the Sun on January 5, 2020. <br />
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On January 5, 2020 the Earth was at its closest perihelion of the 21st century (though by only a tiny margin), making for the largest solar disk we will see. So that made this a “supersun!” <br />
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The disk was virtually spotless both days. <br />
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I shot both with the same equipment — the Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm refractor, with AP 2X Barlow for f/12 and with the Canon 60Da at ISO 100. The filter was the glass Thousand Oaks metal-on-glass filter which imparts a yellow tone to the image.
    Sun at Perihelion & Aphelion Com...jpg
  • The Full Moon of June 24, 2021, colloquially called the "Strawberry Moon," rising over the wind-rippled water of McGregor Lake in southern Alberta. The Moon is casting a prominent "glitter path" across the water. <br />
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This is an exposure blend of two images: a long one for the sky and water, and a short one for the disk of the Moon, to prevent it from being an overexposed white disk. The eye can take in this type of scene but the cameras of today, as good as they are, still cannot record the full dynamic range in brightness of such a scene in one exposure. This was with the Canon EOS Ra, and 200mm L lens and 1.4x Extender for 280mm focal length.
    Rising Strawberry Moon (June 24, 202...jpg
  • The Full Moon of June 24, 2021, colloquially called the "Strawberry Moon," rising over the wind-rippled water of McGregor Lake in southern Alberta. The Moon is casting a prominent "glitter path" across the water. <br />
<br />
This is an exposure blend of two images: a long one for the sky and water, and a short one for the disk of the Moon, to prevent it from being an overexposed white disk. The eye can take in this type of scene but the cameras of today, as good as they are, still cannot record the full dynamic range in brightness of such a scene in one exposure. This was with the Canon EOS Ra and 200mm L lens.
    Rising Strawberry Moon (June 24, 202...jpg
  • The Full Moon of June 24, 2021, colloquially called the "Strawberry Moon," rising over the wind-rippled water of McGregor Lake in southern Alberta. The Moon is casting a prominent "glitter path" across the water, with clouds moving in above. <br />
<br />
This is an exposure blend of two images: a long one for the sky and water, and a short one for the disk of the Moon, to prevent it from being an overexposed white disk. The eye can take in this type of scene but the cameras of today, as good as they are, still cannot record the full dynamic range in brightness of such a scene in one exposure. This was with the Canon EOS Ra and 24-105mm RF zoom lens at 105mm.
    Rising Strawberry Moon & Clouds ...jpg
  • The Full Moon of June 24, 2021, colloquially called the "Strawberry Moon," just rising over the distant hill at McGregor Lake in southern Alberta. The disk of the Moon is flattened by atmospheric refraction and tinted golden from atmospheric absorption, as is the case for all rising and setting Moons, and Suns. <br />
<br />
This is an exposure blend of two images: a long one for the sky and water, and a shorter one for the disk of the Moon, to prevent it from being overexposed. This was with the Canon EOS Ra and 200mm L lens and 1.4x Extender for 280mm focal length.
    Rising Strawberry Moon (June 24, 202...jpg
  • This is a comparison pair of the Full Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth for the year) at left, and at perigee (closest to Earth) at right, with the perigean Moon being a so-called "Supermoon". <br />
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This apogee Moon was shot on Halloween, October 31, 2020 and was the smallest, most distant Full Moon of 2020. It was also a “Blue Moon,” as any Full Moon on the 31st of a month has to be, meaning it was the second Full Moon of the calendar month. The perigee Moon was the "Pink" Moon of 2021. <br />
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With the apogee Moon, the Moon was actually full about 12 hours earlier, so there is a slight phase on its disk, with a terminator visible on the Moon’s eastern limb at right. With the perigee Moon, the Moon was officially full just 2 hours prior to this image, so that disk is very fully illuminated. In this pair the perigee Moon is about 15% larger than the apogee Moon. This shows an example of the lunar disk size at its extremes. Most Full Moons appear midway in size between these two examples. <br />
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The two Moons also show the effect of libration where, in this case, more of the southern limb is tipped toward us on the perigee Moon, and more of the northern limb toward us on the apogee Moon. Being Full Moons, the bright rays emanating from “recent” impacts, particularly from large craters such as Tycho (bottom) and Copernicus (left), are prominent on each disk. <br />
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Both are single exposures with the same equipment — the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor with the 2x AP Barlow lens (for a focal length of 1560mm) and Canon 6D MkII camera at ISO 100. I developed both images for increased contrast and colour saturation to bring out the subtle colour differences in the mare areas. Slight haze on the Oct. 31 night mutes the contrast slightly.
    Full Moon at Apogee vs Perigee Compa...jpg
  • This is a comparison pair of the Full Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth for the year) at left, and at perigee (closest to Earth) at right, with the perigean Moon being a so-called "Supermoon". <br />
<br />
This apogee Moon was shot on Halloween, October 31, 2020 and was the smallest, most distant Full Moon of 2020. It was also a “Blue Moon,” as any Full Moon on the 31st of a month has to be, meaning it was the second Full Moon of the calendar month. The perigee Moon was the "Pink" Moon of 2021. <br />
<br />
With the apogee Moon, the Moon was actually full about 12 hours earlier, so there is a slight phase on its disk, with a terminator visible on the Moon’s eastern limb at right. With the perigee Moon, the Moon was officially full just 2 hours prior to this image, so that disk is very fully illuminated. In this pair the perigee Moon is about 15% larger than the apogee Moon. This shows an example of the lunar disk size at its extremes. Most Full Moons appear midway in size between these two examples. <br />
<br />
The two Moons also show the effect of libration where, in this case, more of the southern limb is tipped toward us on the perigee Moon, and more of the northern limb toward us on the apogee Moon. Being Full Moons, the bright rays emanating from “recent” impacts, particularly from large craters such as Tycho (bottom) and Copernicus (left), are prominent on each disk. <br />
<br />
Both are single exposures with the same equipment — the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor with the 2x AP Barlow lens (for a focal length of 1560mm) and Canon 6D MkII camera at ISO 100. I developed both images for increased contrast and colour saturation to bring out the subtle colour differences in the mare areas. Slight haze on the Oct. 31 night mutes the contrast slightly.
    Full Moon at Apogee vs Perigee Compa...jpg
  • The close Full Moon, dubbed the Pink Supermoon, of April 26, 2021, with it low in a blue twilight sky about 30 minutes after moonrise, and with the Moon still reddened by the atmosphere. The top limb is red and bottom limb green with atmospheric refraction. <br />
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This is a single image, 1/20 second at ISO 100 with the Canon 6D MkII through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor with a 2x Barlow for f/12 and 1560mm focal length.
    Perigean Full Moon in Blue Twilight ...jpg
  • The close Full Moon, dubbed the Pink Supermoon, of April 26, 2021, with it rising above my prairie horizon to the southeast this night. The Sun was still up and illuminating the foreground. <br />
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This is a focus blend of two images — one focused for the distant landscape and one focused for the Moon, each 1/25 second at ISO 100 with the Canon 6D MkII through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor with a 2x Barlow for f/12 and 1560mm focal length.
    Rising Pink Supermoon (April 26, 202...jpg
  • The close Full Moon, dubbed the Pink Supermoon, of April 26, 2021, with it high in a dark sky and about 2 hours after the moment of actual Full Moon but this was about 10 hours before the Moon reached a close perigee. I've processed this to enhance the contrast and colour differences in the lunar seas, the mare. <br />
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This is a single image, 1/250 second at ISO 100 with the Canon 6D MkII through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor with a 2x Barlow for f/12 and 1560mm focal length. Topaz Sharpen AI applied very mildly, as it added artifacts if set too high or on Auto.
    Full Moon at Close Perigee (April 26...jpg
  • The close Full Moon, dubbed the Pink Supermoon, of April 26, 2021, with it still low in a purple twilight sky shortly after moonrise, and with the Moon still reddened by the atmosphere. The top limb is red and bottom limb green with atmospheric refraction. <br />
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This is a single image, 1/20 second at ISO 100 with the Canon 6D MkII through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor with a 2x Barlow for f/12 and 1560mm focal length.
    Perigean Full Moon in Purple Twiligh...jpg
  • A single shot of the 6-day old Moon with the Lunar X and Lunar V formations just visible late in their apparition at this lunation, as the peaks and ridges that make up the apparent formations, and the area around them, were beginning to light up fully, so the effect was being lost. They X and V (the latter just above centre) were more obvious a few hours earlier. <br />
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This is a single 1/100th second exposure with the Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100 on the A&M 106mm refractor at f/6, with the image size doubled and the frame cropped, and Topaz Sharpen AI applied. Taken March 20, 2021 from home in Alberta at 9:37 pm MDT.
    6-Day Moon with X & V.jpg
  • The rising Full Moon of February 27, 2021, the "Snow Moon" of the year. The Moon was technically fullest earlier in the day, some 16 hours before I shot this, and so was slightly past full when it rose for me this evening in southern Alberta. <br />
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This is a composite stack of 9 short exposures for the Moon, blended with a single longer exposure for the ground and sky taken at the start of the moonrise sequence. But using the same exposure for the moons as I used for the sky would have resulted in vastly overexposed moons. As it was, I adjusted the exposures for the Moon from 0.6 seconds for the first (lowest) Moon to 1/30 second for the last (highest) Moon, to keep the moons properly exposed through the sequence, as it brightened as it rose. But it remained very yellow throughout due to atmospheric absorption of the blue wavelengths. <br />
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The background exposure for the ground and sky was 2.5 seconds. The sky was much darker than the Moon, because it rose nearly 45 minutes after sunset this night, so the sky had darkened quite a bit by moonrise. <br />
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All shots were through a SharpStar 76mm EDPH apo refractor with the matching SharpStar 0.8x field flattener/reducer, for an effective focal length of 335mm at f/4.4. The camera was the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. <br />
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I shot images every 5 seconds, for possible use in a time-lapse. But having images spaced that closely together in time made it possible to select images with the Moon's disk just nicely separated to be touching. While the Moon moves its own diameter every 2 minutes due to Earth's rotation, the effect of atmospheric refraction will make it appear to rise at a different rate when it is closer to the horizon than when it is higher. Having lots of frames to pick from made it possible to pick just the right ones for the correct spacing. As it was, the time between the frames used for this composite was about 2 minutes.
    Rising Full Snow Moon (Feb 27, 2021).jpg
  • The line of the waxing crescent Moon (then 2 days old), above prominent Mercury (then approaching its greatest elongation away from the Sun on Jan. 23), and just-visible Jupiter at bottom right about to set (and then approaching its conjunction behind the Sun on Jan. 28).<br />
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This is a single shot with the 135mm lens and Canon EOS Ra.
    Moon, Mercury & Jupiter (Jan 14,...jpg
  • A composite image of the rising of the December 29, 2020 "Cold" Full Moon into a very clear evening twilight sky, here over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. The Moon rose with the Sun still up and lighting the landscape in warm tones, contrasting with the cool blues of the snowy landscape and sky. The pink Belt of Venus glow lights the lower sky near the horizon. It is not often we get a Full Moon (it was only 4 hours before being officially Full this night) rising with the Sun still up and illuminating the landscape. <br />
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This is a layered blend of 13 exposures taken at 5-minute intervals, from moonrise just before sunset, to the Moon high in a dark sky more than an hour later. The ground and sky near the horizon is a blend of the first four exposures while the upper sky is from the last two exposures to place the now bright Moon into a darker sky as it actually appeared. <br />
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The Moon moves its own diameter in about 2 minutes, so picking shots taken 5 minutes apart provides a good spacing for a shot with this field of view. Shots with longer telephoto lenses would be better with Moons taken every 3 to 4 minutes. <br />
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These frames were taken as past of an 800-frame time lapse with the camera on auto exposure to ensure each frame was well exposed for the ground and sky. But as the Moon brightens as it rises that inevitably overexposes the Moon's disk — the exposure sequence I used here works for the time-lapse but is not so ideal for a composite still image like this. Had I wanted this to be shot taken just for a still image composite I would have had to fix the exposure at more or less what it was at mid-sequence here, to keep the lunar disk at that brightness and detail. So be it!<br />
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All were with the Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100. It was about -10° C this evening.
    Moonrise at Dino Park Composite (85m...jpg
  • The Full "Cold" Moon of December 29, 2020 rising over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on the Red Deer River. The last light of the setting Sun was breaking through briefly, illuminating the far river bank, as the Moon rose into the dark shadow of the Earth and pink "Belt of Venus" glow in the upper atmosphere. Despite being full, the Moon rose this night about 30 minutes before sunset, allowing this lighting. The Moon was about 4 hours before being officially Full at this time. <br />
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This is a single image with the Rokinon 85mm lens on the Canon 6D MkII taken as part of an 800-frame time-lapse.
    Moonrise over Dinosaur Park.jpg
  • A 180° panorama of the rising Full Moon and twilight colours over the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta on December 29, 2020. This was the "Cold Winter" Moon of 2020. The view is overlooking the Red Deer River valley. <br />
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I shot this panorama from the Park's entrance gate viewpoint. The image is a 14-segment panorama with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/4.5 and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100, stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. The original is 34,000 pixels wide.
    Moonrise at Dinosaur Park Panorama (...jpg
  • The Full "Cold" Moon of December 29, 2020 rising over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on the Red Deer River, here at left. The last light of the setting Sun was breaking through briefly, illuminating the far river bank, as the Moon rose into the dark shadow of the Earth and pink "Belt of Venus" glow in the upper atmosphere. Despite being full, the Moon rose this night about 30 minutes before sunset, allowing this lighting. The Moon was about 4 hours before being officially Full at this time. <br />
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This is a single image with the Sigma 50mm lens on the Canon EOS Ra taken as part of a 500-frame time-lapse.
    Cold Moon Rising over Dinosaur Park.jpg
  • A large sunspot group, the largest in many months at the time, on December 1, 2020. <br />
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Taken with the 105mm Traveler refractor with 2X Barlow for f/12 and Canon 60Da camera at ISO 100 for 1/800 sec with the Thousand Oaks glass filter.
    Sunspot Dec 1, 2020 (105mm 60Da).jpg
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