Rocket Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base

I was fortunate to see another spectacular launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Christmas Eve morning. I typically check the launch listing sites every few days to keep track of when the next launch will be. These are listed weeks or even months ahead of the launch date–although the dates can and do change. There are exceptions to this advance posting: certain top-secret satellites are often announced with only 24 hours notice. The SARah 2 & 3 satellites had this abbreviated announcement.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch the SARah 2 & 3 satellites into LEO (Low Earth Orbit). Exhaust from the second stage is illuminated by the Sun as it ascends.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch the SARah 2 & 3 satellites into LEO (Low Earth Orbit). Exhaust from the second stage is illuminated by the Sun as it ascends.
First stage separation and return.
First stage separation and return.

Fortunately, I happened to check the updated schedule about 12 hours before launch so I was able to make preparations for viewing it.

The launch was scheduled for 0611 MST (0511 PST) on the morning of December 24. I went north of Flagstaff to the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

The launch was on time at 0611 MST and about a minute later I was able to see the rocket as it rose above the horizon. I wasalso  able to photograph the first stage separation. A  few minutes later the high-level clouds appeared once the rocket had ascended high enough to be illuminated by the Sun–which was still well below the horizon at my location.

Here are a few photographs of the launch plus a time-lapse video that shows the dramatic expansion of the high-altitude cloud from the rocket exhaust.

SpaceX/Falcon 9 launch of the SARah 2 & 3 satellites.

The next launch is in a week but may be too late in the evening to catch the last light of twilight.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

This is the first of what will be many posts on this comet. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be in the western sky in the evening for the next few months and could brighten enough to be visible to the unaided eye. Right now, however, it is quite dim at a magnitude of +9.0 and is located near the star Vega in the constellation Lyra.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the constellation Lyra and near the bright star Vega.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the constellation Lyra and near the bright star Vega.
Current location of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the solar system.
Current location of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the solar system.
Screen shot from Stellarium showing the location of 12P/Pons-Brooks, Vega, and the constellation Lyra. Rectangle shows the field of view for the 180mm lens.
Screen shot from Stellarium showing the location of 12P/Pons-Brooks, Vega, and the constellation Lyra. Rectangle shows the field of view for the 180mm lens.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a cryovolcanic comet. When exposed to the sun’s warmth the pressure within this cryomagma builds up until it triggers the release of gases, expelling icy fragments (and the gases) through cracks in the comet’s outer layer and into space. 12P has already had multiple bursts which have resulted in rapid brightening.

I ventured to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, an International Dark Sky Park, to shoot images of the comet. As noted above, it very close to the bright star Vega which made it very easy to find. My primary goal was to use my Nikon 180mm f/2.8 AIS lens, a legacy manual focus lens known for value in astrophotography and so that I could capture the full constellation. My secondary plan was to use the Nikon 200-500mm lens at its maximum zoom showing just Vega and 12P.

Owing to being a bit out of practice (it happens), both my focussing and star tracking were suboptimal. Something to work on for my next shoot.

 

 

Stable Auroral Red Arc over Northern Arizona

A strong geomagnetic storm a few days ago (05 Nov 2023) triggered brilliant auroras over high and middle latitudes. At lower latitudes a different phenomena was observed. This was a Stable Auroral Red (SAR) Arc. But this feature is neither stable nor an aurora.

A mix of green airglow and Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc is joined by a Taurid meteor over Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona.
A mix of green airglow and Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc is joined by a Taurid meteor over Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona.
A mix of green airglow and Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc over Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona.
A mix of green airglow and Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc over Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona.

From the SpaceWeather.com web site:

During this past weekend’s strong G3-class geomagnetic storm, low-latitude auroras spread as far south as Texas and Arizona. Upon further review, most of those lights were not auroras at all…

SAR arcs were discovered in 1956 at the beginning of the Space Age. Researchers didn’t know what they were and unwittingly gave them a misleading name: “Stable Auroral Red arcs” or SAR arcs. In fact, SAR arcs are neither stable nor auroras.

Auroras appear when charged particles rain down from space, hitting the atmosphere and causing it to glow. SAR arcs form differently. They are a sign of heat energy leaking into the upper atmosphere from Earth’s ring current system–a donut-shaped circuit carrying millions of amps around our planet.

Okay, so it was not an aurora. But it was still pretty amazing to witness and photograph. I even managed to capture a meteor that was part of the Taurid shower moving across the SAR.

But wait, there’s more. There was green airglow in the same part of the sky as the SAR.

Time-lapse of SAR arc and green airglow over northern Arizona (1908–2217 MST 05 November 2023.)

Summary: SAR arc, Taurid meteor,green airglow…and some coyotes.

Autumn Colors in Northern Arizona

October and November brings color to the foliage in northern Arizona. This year, however, the colors have been subdued and the color change has been over an extended period of time rather than a sharp peak. Nonetheless, it’s always a fun time to get out and photograph. These photographs were taken between October 10 and November 1.

October 10, 2023

Lockett Meadows, the Inner Basin, and the San Francisco Peaks.
Lockett Meadows, the Inner Basin, and the San Francisco Peaks.
Lockett Meadows, the Inner Basin, and the San Francisco Peaks.
Lockett Meadows, the Inner Basin, and the San Francisco Peaks.
Fallen aspen leaves cover the Waterline Road in the San Francisco Peaks.
Fallen aspen leaves cover the Waterline Road in the San Francisco Peaks.
A ridge is covered with aspen as seen from the Inner Basin Trail.
A ridge is covered with aspen as seen from the Inner Basin Trail.

October 19, 2023

Aspen along the Veit Springs trail on the San Francisco Peaks.
Aspen along the Veit Springs trail on the San Francisco Peaks.

October 30, 2023

Red maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.
Red maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.
Fallen maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.
Fallen maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.
Maple tree, Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.
Maple tree, Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.

November 1, 2023

Apple leaves, Call Of The Canyon picnic area, Oak Creek Canyon.
Apple leaves, Call Of The Canyon picnic area, Oak Creek Canyon.
Maple tree, West Fork Oak Creek trail.
Maple tree, West Fork Oak Creek trail.
A sunlit wall is reflected in a pool in West Fork Oak Creek.
A sunlit wall is reflected in a pool in West Fork Oak Creek.
Fallen leaves sit atop the water in a tranquil pool in West Fork Oak Creek.
Fallen leaves sit atop the water in a tranquil pool in West Fork Oak Creek.
Bright yellow maple leaves arch across the West Fork Oak Creek trail.
Bright yellow maple leaves arch across the West Fork Oak Creek trail.

The color continues to migrate into the lower elevations. Middle and lower sections of Oak Creek Canyon have yet to hit their peak.

Monsoon–September 2023

As mentioned in an earlier post the monsoon had a late start this year–and ended about the middle of September which is fairly typical.

02 September 2023

Lightning bridges the clouds above and fog below in Grand Canyon.
Lightning bridges the clouds above and fog below in Grand Canyon.
Lightning bridges the clouds above and fog below in Grand Canyon.
Lightning bridges the clouds above and fog below in Grand Canyon.
Lightning strikes the walls of Grand Canyon near Desert View Tower.
Lightning strikes the walls of Grand Canyon near Desert View Tower.

I went to Grand Canyon early and was photographing storms shortly before 3 P.M. It was interesting and unusual because fog rapidly developed deep inside the canyon as the storms approached from the south. For a moment I wasn’t certain I would see anything in the reduced visibility. But close lightning bolts dropped from the cloud base above, through the clear air, and then disappeared in the fog in the inner canyon. It was really spectacular to see this.

Another storm dropped a lightning bolt into the canyon near Desert View Tower with multiple contact points. Wow!

A double rainbow over Palisades of the Canyon and Desert View Tower in Grand Canyon.
A double rainbow over Palisades of the Canyon and Desert View Tower in Grand Canyon.
A rainbow moments before sunset spans the canyon.
A rainbow moments before sunset spans the canyon.

And then the rainbows arrived with some brilliant and colorful arcs of light over Desert View point. Finally, just moments before sunset, another rainbow stretched from the North Rim to the South Rim.

It was an amazing day.

12 September 2023

An early evening storm produced a lot of in-cloud lightning that lit up the thunderstorm at the same time that the setting Sun was illuminating it from the West. And all of this was reflected in the waters of Mormon Lake.

Thunderstorm after sunset near Mormon Lake.
Thunderstorm after sunset near Mormon Lake.

13 September 2023

Storms were more isolated this day allowing for nice views of the convection. I was able to get several photographs of the storms over the Little Colorado River (LCR) valley as I was heading towards Grand Canyon. Late in the afternoon a short segment of a rainbow appeared over the LCR.

An early afternoon thunderstorm over the Little Colorado River valley east of Grand Canyon.
An early afternoon thunderstorm over the Little Colorado River valley east of Grand Canyon.
Thunderstorm over the eastern portions of Grand Canyon.
Thunderstorm over the eastern portions of Grand Canyon.
A short segment of a rainbow with Desert View Tower.
A short segment of a rainbow with Desert View Tower.

14 September 2023

I spent the late afternoon and early evening in Wupatki National Monument and was able to get some really great sunset photographs. There was lightning after dark but most of it was too far away for interesting structure and branching.

A burst of color on a rain shaft at sunset over Wupatki National Monument.
A burst of color on a rain shaft at sunset over Wupatki National Monument.
Fading sunset colors over Wupatki National Monument.
Fading sunset colors over Wupatki National Monument.

15 September 2023

Late afternoon and early evening storms were present to the west of Mormon Lake. I kept hoping for some dramatic lightning with sunset color–but only got the latter. It was still pretty good!

The setting sun illuminates a rain shaft over Mormon Mountain and Mormon Lake.
The setting sun illuminates a rain shaft over Mormon Mountain and Mormon Lake.

17 September 2023

I was actually trying to photograph Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura but these clouds were in the way. This was taken well after sunset and the color was pretty remarkable.

Sunset colors on a mid-level deck of clouds.
Sunset colors on a mid-level deck of clouds.

So after a late start the monsoon season produced many photogenic opportunities for clouds, sunsets, fog, and lightning.  And now the long wait until next season.

Previous posts on the 2023 North American Monsoon: