Lunar Eclipse—03 March 2026

March 6, 2026 / Add comment

A total lunar eclipse occurred on March 3, 2026, and was visible across North America. Fortunately, the skies were clear over northern Arizona allowing us to watch the entire event. The timing wasn’t optimal as it occurred in the early morning hours before sunrise. On the other hand, the timing kept the crowds away.

A composite of five images during the total lunar eclipse of March 03, 2026. The circle marks the size of Earth's umbral shadow. — A composite of five images during the total lunar eclipse of March 03, 2026. The circle marks the size of Earth’s umbral shadow.

Schematic of the different phases and times during the total lunar eclipse. The image is rotated 90°.

From Wikipedia:

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s near side entirely passes into the Earth’s umbral shadow. A lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours…

I decided to photograph the eclipse using a star tracker so that the camera would follow the stars across the sky as the event unfolded. Because the Moon is moving from west-to-east as it moves around Earth the lunar disk would move across the image. After the event, I could stack multiple images showing the different phases of the eclipse and the Moon’s location relative to the umbral shadow.

The next total lunar eclipse visible from Arizona will occur June 25, 202–but the eclipse will already be in progress when the Moon rises above the eastern horizon. Maximum totality should be visible although it will still be Nautical Twilight and the eastern sky should be dark enough to see the lunar disk. A good idea for the 2029 eclipse will be line up the Moon with some interesting foregrounds. I think I have plenty of time to plan this.

Orion in February

February 19, 2026 / Add comment

In a recent post I talked about a photo session in which I captured images of Orion using a wide-angle lens. My next goal was to use a telephoto lens to zoom in on specific areas. My first effort did not go well. It was cold and windy. My attempts to get the star tracker aligned were mostly unsuccessful — because of the cold and wind. And the lens I used (Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6) was too big and heavy for the tracking mount.

Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion with Star Removal.

Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion.

I tried again the next night and there was less wind–but it was still cold. This time I used the Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S manual focus lens. It is much lighter and easier to focus and it produces a very sharp image by the time it is stopped down to ƒ/4.0. My goal was to capture the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) and the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) plus one or more stars from Orion’s belt.

Both the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula are in the constellation of Orion and are part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex. (Note: an amusing reference to the “Horace Head Nebula” appears in Isaac Asimov’s “The Stars, Like Dust“. Check it out!) The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula while the Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula.

I shot 73 one-minute exposures plus the usual assortment of darks, flats, and bias images. The images were stacked using Siril 1.4 with Star Reduction, histogram stretching using rnc-color-stretch, and finally post processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

The first image is the result with Star Reduction turned on; the second image is without Star Reduction. I like them both.

Nikon D850, Nikon 180mm ƒ/2.8 ED AI-S @ ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 73 x 60 seconds.

Trail Running–January 2026

February 1, 2026

The warm weather continues and has allowed us to run in Sedona on dry trails. Trails in Flagstaff, however, tend to be muddy unless you run early enough in the morning when they are still frozen. So we mostly run in Sedona.

Flagstaff FUTS run

Our only run in Flagstaff this month was on New Year’s Day–and it was raining. By the end of the run the trail was getting pretty sloppy.

Public art along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) on a gray, rainy New Year's Day. — Public art along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) on a gray, rainy New Year’s Day.

The Hogs and Chicken Point

This run connects many trails to get a double loop: •Hogwash •Hog Heaven •High on the Hog •Broken Arrow •Chicken Point turnaround •Broken Arrow •Submarine Rock •Broken Arrow

Expansive scenery from the Hogwash Trail in Sedona.

Two runners traverse a sandstone bench on the Hogwash Trail in Sedona. Fortunately it was warm enough that this was water and not ice.

Brins Mesa–Soldiers Pass Loop

A runner ascends the final steps to the top of Cibola Pass. Several large red rock towers can be seen in the distance (Morning Glory Spire on left; Cibola Mitten on the right.

The calendar says January but the weather has been warm and rainy so it is no surprise that wild flowers (Cliffrose) are already blooming.

A panoramic view from the top of Brins Mesa looking towards Wilson Mountain.

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Orion in January

January 30, 2026

One of my goals this month was to capture the constellation Orion using a wide angle lens. Several months ago I purchased the Tamron 35mm f/1.4 Di USD lens. This is a very good wide-angle lens for astrophotography because the stars remain sharp in the corners. I have written about this lens in a previous post.

Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula.

Orion and neighboring gas clouds and nebula with labels.

A good reason to photograph Orion with a wide angle lens is the abundance of interesting objects that are near and surround Orion. These include the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, the Witch Head Nebula, Rosetta Nebula, Flame Nebula, and Barnards Loop, among others.

A screen shot from the Stellarium application showing Orion and the field of view with a 35° lens.

I shot 40 two-minute images (80 minutes total exposure) at f/2.8 and ISO 400 and then stacked them using Siril. I also ran a star reduction algorithm to remove some of the stars so that the gas clouds would be more visible. Here are the results of that astrophotography session.

Next I would like to use a large telephoto lens to zoom in on some of these objects. Now I just need to wait for the Moon to shift into the early morning hours.

Trail Running–December 2025

December 24, 2025

It has been warm and dry this month and this has allowed us to continue doing trail runs in Flagstaff and Sedona. Here are a few photographs from these runs.

Long Canyon

End of the trail in Long Canyon--the sign says so. — End of the trail in Long Canyon–the sign says so.

Fort Tuthill

It was interesting that the snow had melted everywhere except the trail.

Footprints in the snow, Soldiers Trail at Fort Tuthill.

Wet Beaver Creek

This trail a favorite of our running group. The turnaround is at this deep pool.

A sandstone bench makes for an interesting section on the Bell Trail along Wet Beaver Creek.

Templeton Trail–Easy Breezy Trail

An early morning start was chilly but it warmed up quickly on this run.

Cathedral Rock looms in the distance along this section of Templeton Trail.

Cathedral Rock and the intersection of Templeton -- Easy Breezy -- and Hardline Trails. — Cathedral Rock and the intersection of Templeton — Easy Breezy — and Hardline Trails.

The return on this loop was on Easy Breezy Trail.

Teacup Trail

We don’t do this often because parking is difficult much of the year. But we got lucky on this day.

Oldham–Down Under

We did this earlier this fall and wanted to do it again. Mud, snow and ice made it tricky.

Down Under Trail (formally known as Red Onion) where it crosses Elden Lookout Road.

Too much mud and snow here--so we turned around. — Too much mud and snow here–so we turned around.

Huckaby Trail

Another trail run with a cold start but a warm finish.

A view from the high point on Huckaby Trail looking back at Midgley Bridge--the turnaround point for this run. — A view from the high point on Huckaby Trail looking back at Midgley Bridge–the turnaround point for this run.

Schultz Creek Trail

The first two miles were fine with just a few muddy spots. After that we encountered patches of ice and snow — so we did the return on Schultz Pass Road.