Aurora Borealis: 10-11 October 2024

The Sun remains active as it approaches Solar Max and the possibilities of observing the aurora at lower latitudes remains good. Earlier this month there was a Severe Geomagnetic Storm (G4 with Kp8) that produced visible auroras in northern Arizona. Some of the pillars of light were easy to see–others required longer exposures on the camera.

We watched and photographed the event from Ashurst Lake near Flagstaff, Arizona. I was hoping to capture reflections of the aurora on the still waters of the lake and was successful.

Here are a few images…

The first pillars of the aurora appear even before twilight has ended.
The first pillars of the aurora appear even before twilight has ended.
Only a few minutes later.
Only a few minutes later.
Green aurora begins to fill the sky.
Green aurora begins to fill the sky.
..and fills more of the sky...
..and fills more of the sky…
An ultra-wide angle lens was not wide enough so I switched to a fish-eye lens.
An ultra-wide angle lens was not wide enough so I switched to a fish-eye lens.
A "picket fence" pattern was briefly visible.
A “picket fence” pattern was briefly visible.
The aurora subsides.
The aurora subsides.

…and a time-lapse video (~190 MB) of the event.

Time-lapse video of the aurora of 10-11 October 2024.

I can’t wait for the next aurora!

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)–Morning Observations

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has been in the headlines and the morning sky for a few weeks. Yeah, some of the headlines and news articles are over-the-top but most of them are quite good. And the comet in the morning twilight has been fun to photograph.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and Ashurst Lake, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and Ashurst Lake, Flagstaff, Arizona.

I have taken photos on five different mornings over a nine-day period and have captured images of the comet growing brighter and the tail growing longer. On only one occasion was I able to see the comet with the unaided eye. On three occasions I was able to see it with binoculars. On all five mornings it was very easy to capture the comet with even very short exposures on the camera.

The comet is now getting very close to the Sun so I have suspended photography for a few days. When it reemerges in the evening sky I will once again start shooting photos. I hope it is easier to see during this phase.

I shot the comet with a few different focal lengths (50mm, 85mm, and180mm). I think the best images were with the 85mm f/1.8 lens (usually shot at f/2.8) as it gave a wide-enough view to include some foreground.

Here are some photographs and time-lapse video from the period 25 September through 03 October.

25 September 2024

This was my first attempt to photograph the comet. It was taken from the overlook on Mars Hill, home of Lowell Observatory, in Flagstaff. The comet is small and located in the upper middle of the photograph. I often shoot photos of astronomical objects in the eastern sky from this location because I can include much of the city.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and the City of Flagstaff. (25 September 2024)
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and the City of Flagstaff. (25 September 2024)

26 September 2024

I was planning on returning to Mars Hill but smoke from a managed wildfire suggested I should try elsewhere. I ended up at the Mormon Lake Overlook. The first image is a stack of 16 images taken over the course of about five minutes. The stacking increases the signal, reduces noise, and allows more stretching of the histogram to pull out the faint details.

The video was taken from the same set of images but without any cropping. The camera was mounted on a star tracker so that the comet remained fixed in the images.

A stack of 16 images taken over the course of about five minutes. (26 September 2024)
A stack of 16 images taken over the course of about five minutes. (26 September 2024)

Time-lapse video of the comet rising above the eastern horizon. (26 September, 2024)

28 September 2024

With some smoke still present I returned to the Mormon Lake Overlook on this morning. I was disappointed at the clouds but afterwards decided that I really liked the image of the clouds partially obscuring the comet tail.

Clouds partially obscure the tail of the comet. (28 September 2024)
Clouds partially obscure the tail of the comet. (28 September 2024)

October 01 2024

I went to Ashurst Lake for this photo session with the hopes of catching a reflection of the comet tail in the calm waters of the lake. I was not disappointed!

In the first image, the comet has not risen above the horizon but the comet tail is strikingly visible in the sky and reflected in the water. In the second image, the comet has barely cleared the trees, the tail is still quite bright, but the reflection on the water has dimmed. Next, the waning crescent Moon rises–and is partially behind a cloud–as the sky brightens making the comet’s tail more difficult to see. The final image is a stack of six images and cropped to show only the comet and tail.

The tail of the comet is reflected in the still waters of Lake Ashurt, near Flagstaff, Arizona. (01 October 2024)
The tail of the comet is reflected in the still waters of Lake Ashurt, near Flagstaff, Arizona. (01 October 2024)
The comet has risen above the trees and the tail remains strikingly visible while the reflection has dimmed.
The comet has risen above the trees and the tail remains strikingly visible while the reflection has dimmed.
The crescent Moon joins the scene in the eastern twilight. The sky has brightened making it more difficult to see the tail. (01 October 2024)
The crescent Moon joins the scene in the eastern twilight. The sky has brightened making it more difficult to see the tail. (01 October 2024)
Close up of the comet and tail in the bright twilight. (01 October 2024)
Close up of the comet and tail in the bright twilight. (01 October 2024)

October 03 2024

My goal on this morning was to shoot a long sequence of images so that I could produce a time-lapse video starting when the comet was below the horizon until twilight became too bright to see the comet. Again, I was at Ashurst Lake hoping for reflections or smooth water. Success!

The first image was taken ~14 minutes before the comet rose above the horizon but the tail is still easily visible.

The comet is below the horizon but the tail extends well up into the twilight sky. (03 October 2024)
The comet is below the horizon but the tail extends well up into the twilight sky. (03 October 2024)

Time-lapse video of the comet rising during the period 0503–0533 MST. (03 October 2024)

As I mentioned at the beginning, there have been many articles about the comet. I think this one from Sky and Telescope is one of the better ones. Also, EarthSky.org has published many beautiful photos of the comet.

The best is yet to come!

Trail Run in Kelly Canyon

A few days ago we did a trail run down Kelly Pocket to the confluence with Pumphouse Wash. This is about 6 miles round trip. We started from the upper end and ran downhill to the confluence then turned around and ran back up to our starting point. It was interesting that my running times were about 1 minute per mile faster on the uphill.

Water flows through erorded channels in the sandstone in Kelly Canyon.
Water flows through erorded channels in the sandstone in Kelly Canyon.
Trees and sky are reflected in the narrow and shallow pool.
Trees and sky are reflected in the narrow and shallow pool.
A shallow pool in Kelly Canyon.
A shallow pool in Kelly Canyon.
Several larger pools can be found at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash
Several larger pools can be found at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash

We stopped to take some photos (maybe that was why the downhill was slower) of the canyon. It was nice to see that there remained some water in several pools and these were very pretty in the morning light.

The trail in Kelly Canyon.
The trail in Kelly Canyon.
This used to be a fun ramp for mountain bikes up and over the downed tree. But time has taken its toll and both the ramp and tree .
This used to be a fun ramp for mountain bikes up and over the downed tree. But time has taken its toll and both the ramp and tree .

In just a few more weeks the leaves will be changing color and this small canyon will be worth another visit.

 

North American Monsoon–August 2024

A curtain of light rain from a dissipating thunderstorm is brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun.

Storms in August were more plentiful than in July although there were still some extended breaks in the monsoon. Rainbows remained elusive for me. I was able to photograph a few that displayed short segments but I never captured a full rainbow. Lightning, on the other hand, was plentiful and I did well in that genre.

Here is a partial summary of August monsoon photography.

04 August 2024

Mormon Lake Overlook is a short drive from Flagstaff and affords an amazing 360° view. This was one of the many days with only a partial rainbow but the juxtaposition of the rainbow and the tree in the grasslands of Anderson Mesa was a pleasing composition. A few minutes later the Sun beautifully illuminated some light rain falling from a dissipating thunderstorm. The color was intense and only lasted a few minutes.

A short segment of a rainbow above the grasslands of Anderson Mesa in northern Arizona.
A short segment of a rainbow above the grasslands of Anderson Mesa in northern Arizona.
A curtain of light rain from a dissipating thunderstorm is brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun.
A curtain of light rain from a dissipating thunderstorm is brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun.

Continue reading →

Moon Rise over Lake Mary–August 2024

The August full Moon was a Supermoon as well as a seasonal Blue Moon.

A small sliver of the rising Moon is visible in the gap in the clouds and casts a long reflection on the lake.
A small sliver of the rising Moon is visible in the gap in the clouds and casts a long reflection on the lake.
The Moon rises higher in the gap and casts a more diffuse reflection.
The Moon rises higher in the gap and casts a more diffuse reflection.
The Moon bridges the gap in the clouds.
The Moon bridges the gap in the clouds.

Using The Photographers Ephemeris I realized I could photograph the rising Moon looking down the length of Upper Lake Mary from the Narrows picnic area. Arriving early I was able to shoot several photographs of the distant clouds (more on that later) reflected in the calm water. By using a 5-stop neutral density filter (ND) I took long exposures (2-6 seconds) which had the effect of smoothing the surface of the water.

A pre-Moon rise, long-exposure shot of the lake and distant clouds.
A pre-Moon rise, long-exposure shot of the lake and distant clouds.
Long-exposure shot of Upper Lake Mary with residual twilight glow in the western sky.
Long-exposure shot of Upper Lake Mary with residual twilight glow in the western sky.

So what about those clouds? There was a dissipating cumulus congestus cloud to the east but also some anvil clouds from distant thunderstorms in eastern Arizona. Would there be a gap in the clouds? Would I be able to see the Moon?  Yes, there was; yes, I did.

As the Moon barely cleared the top of some distant clouds it cast a long reflection on the lake. Because there was only a very small bit of Moon showing the reflection had very sharp edges. As the Moon rose higher and more of it showed the reflection became wider and had less distinct edges. Even more interesting, the Moon was causing parts of the distant clouds to glow and these also cast light reflections on the water. It was very interesting and beautiful. And it only lasted a few minutes as the Moon rose higher and was obscured by the distant clouds.