The warm and dry winter continued into March with some extraordinary high temperature records all across the west in the latter part of the month. Consequently, we were able to run in Flagstaff on dry trails as well as in Sedona. In fact, it was so warm in Sedona on some of these runs that we started our runs earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. Cooler temperatures and rain finally arrived on the last day of the month.
Earls Loop
This is mostly an out-and-back with a loop at the far end (“lollipop loop”) and is not a well-known trail. That’s because the trail does not appear on modern maps. It still gets some regular traffic from hikers, runners, and mountain bikers (even though some of it traverses a wilderness area).
A runner on the Earl’s Loop Trail in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.Water-worn channels in the sandstone of Dry Creek.Posing at the far point of the Earl’s Loop trail.Wildflowers on the Earl’s Loop Trail.
With exceptionally clear skies and no Moon it was a good time to capture images of the zodiacal light. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this astronomical phenomenon.
Zodiacal light is a faint, roughly triangular, diffuse white glow seen in the night sky that appears to extend up from the vicinity of the Sun along the ecliptic or zodiac. It is best seen just after sunset and before sunrise in spring and autumn when the zodiac is at a steep angle to the horizon. Caused by sunlight scattered by space dust in the zodiacal cloud, it is so faint that either moonlight or light pollution renders it invisible.
Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.
The image shows the cone of light extending upward from the western horizon. In the upper portion is the Pleiades star cluster and Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is visible as a faint smudge on the right. The zodiacal light is also faintly reflected in the still waters of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Unedited version of the previous image showing satellite tracks. Zodiacal light in the western sky with faint reflections in Upper Lake Mary.Zodiacal light from 2014–with no satellite tracks.
But this is an edited image because the original was full of satellite tracks (and a few aircraft tracks). The second image is the unedited version. For comparison, an image of the zodiacal light taken in 2014 (before Starlink) shows no satellite tracks at all.
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.Schematic of the different phases and times during the total lunar eclipse. The image is rotated 90°.
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.
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.
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.
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.
