Aurora

The aurora was visible right over our house last night!

I had received a text with a photo just taken of the aurora visible from Colorado. I didn’t have any real hope of getting a photo, because last time we drove all over Prescott trying to see it without any luck at all. I knew that it might not be visible to the naked eye and that people here had seen it before by taking iPhone photos. I went out to the driveway and just aimed my iPhone at the sky in a northeast direction and there was the purple! I did not see streaks or dancing lights or any green at all, but the color was definitely there. I used night mode on my iPhone for most of the shots so that I would see the stars against the dark background and increased the exposure slightly to get the color. My hands shake, so the focus on the stars isn’t perfect.

Below is another view looking out across the street from our driveway.

Melinda4 Comments

Lunar Eclipse- Election Day

We were up late OR got up early…

Whatever we were… we saw it… and it was magnificent! These shots don’t nearly do it justice. I don’t know if these are my best shots- too many to look at.

Feeling very sleep deprived, but it was worth it.

Camera nerds: I didn’t even know I could push my ISO so high (20,000 at one point- this was 12,800 on the right).

Melinda1 Comment

Winter Solstice- Jupiter and Saturn Conjunction

We climbed up the hill at the back of our property with two chairs, two tripods, one long lens, one short lens, binoculars, one flashlight, and two iPhones. OK, Lonnie climbed up with all that- I carried one tripod. We did this after sunset while it was still light and stood, wobbling, on the uneven rocky ground inside our property line and waited until we saw it. Lonnie spotted it first, much higher in the sky than we expected, especially having watched the two planets from our back yard the last few nights. I eventually moved down the neighbor’s gravel driveway (near the Private Property sign. . .) to be able to get photos that included the house and the Thumb. The photos I took with my long lens were not as detailed as I expected, and I much prefer the photos below which are little pinpoints of light. You will have to ZOOM WAY IN (upper right in the house photo and upper left on the Thumb photo) to see it. I took some iPhone shots, which I’ll post later, that give a wider view of the scene. Despite all the stumbling and bumbling around, it was ultimately a thrilling experience to see this astronomical event- a sign of hope as we approach Christmas and the New Year.

Melinda1 Comment

Moon Watch

Time spent gazing at the night sky can be as calming as watching the rhythm of ocean waves. Last night I went outside for a half hour or so before the International Space Station was due to fly over and spent time looking at the moon as it appeared and disappeared behind fast moving clouds.

And then we watched the space station as it made its arc over our driveway- looking like a bright star zooming across the night sky. A few moments of excitement on that dark night.

I missed blackout Tuesday- I hadn’t realized it was happening until late yesterday. But I add my voice to those crying for justice for all Black Americans. These are dark times- but I have hope for better days ahead.

 

MelindaLeave a comment

Moonie

Yes, I took photos of the eclipse! The Super Blood Wolf Moon! As I write this, the moon is still eclipsed- so much so, that when I bumped into my tripod in the dark, I could not find the moon again in my view finder. Time to go to bed.

Here is the moon on the rise, partly covered by clouds.

 

And here is when the moon was almost completely in the earth’s shadow.

 

 

 

Melinda2 Comments

Eclipse!

I did it!

In yesterday’s photo class, we were told exactly where to go (across town on a hill) to get a view of the eclipsing moon, which would be very low on the horizon. Lonnie suggested that we might be able to just see it from the hill at the back of our property, so we decided to set our alarm and see if, by any chance, we could see the moon from our own backyard. When the alarm went off, I staggered over to the window and there was the moon!

I shot many photos right from the backyard, but then carried the tripod with my big lens up our hill and took more photos from the top. I didn’t realize what a spectacular view we have of the night sky up there! There won’t be any more Super Blue Blood Moon Lunar Eclipses to photograph, but there are zillions of stars!

 

Melinda3 Comments

Harvest Moon

Lonnie (my pointer-outer of moons, sunsets, and rainbows) just mentioned that there is a harvest moon tonight.  Whaaat? It took me a few minutes to put on shoes and switch tripod heads and lenses- but I did my best to get out to the driveway quickly. I believe this is the first moon photo I’ve taken with my long lens. Fun!

I do wish there was an interesting foreground or that I had captured it on the rise, but it’s the moon just the same.

It looks a bit like a cantaloupe, doesn’t it?

Melinda4 Comments

July Sky

My friend, Carol, is visiting! After an afternoon at Barnstar Brewery and a delicious barbecue dinner, we all sat outside talking, laughing, and watching birds until after dark. As we got up to go inside, we were surprised to look up and see clouds which had not been visible earlier. Carol and I got our cameras to photograph the moon peeking out through the cloud cover and were surprised to see the colors that appeared in our images. Smoke from the fire? I don’t know.

In this shot, you can see a star in the lower part of the photo.

MelindaLeave a comment

Sunset and Smoke

A little impression of our sunset view last night- smoke and pink sky. Multiple exposure layered with a view of the moon from the other direction and an added texture. The fire continues to grow as I write this. We are far enough away to feel safe, but it is scary how fast it is growing.

Melinda1 Comment