With longer nights during winter, it does not mean I'll be sleeping that much longer each night. When the conditions are good I like to take advantage of it by going outside to take night pictures. It was a cold night, but it was clear and the wind was calm. I stayed out until it was too cold, come back with few good pictures.
Few nights back the temperature was minus 30 degree celsius and the forecast was for the winds to pick up and take the temperature to minus 41. Perfect time for night photography. I put on as many layers as I could and then headed out. The plan was to take 16 thirty seconds consecutive exposures, then return home and combine them all together with the magic of software to create star trails. With first quarter of the moon out, not all the stars were going to be visible, which was what I wanted. What was a nice surprise were the low clouds, they add to the mood. After setting up the equipment and taking few test shots. I let the camera handle the rest while I did my best to stay warm by dancing in the dark. I should have called it a night after the last image, but I decided to play around more with few different locations and shots before heading home as the winds started to pick up.
After watching a beautiful sunset at Peyto lake, I then decided to sit down among the rocks and watch the sky get darker and the stars make an appearance. Only sounds I could hear as the brighter stars were making their appearance, was of the vehicles when they would go over the rumble strips on the road in the distance, the water making its way down from Peyto Glacier and more then likely a pika moving among the rocks near me in the dark. I was still able to see some of the warm colours from the setting sun in the distance, in the clouds and in the fire smoke from the west. In the sky I could also see a glow, just a hint of northern lights. Once my camera had taken the pictures I had planned, I packed up and and made my way to the car. Half way there, a small owl flew front of me. Nice way to end the trip.
Less then a week ago the night sky was lit up with Northern Lights, they were so bright in Banff National Park, one could see them in the town of Banff surrounded by street lights. It seems like half of the town was up to watch, while the other half slept, only to find out in the morning what they missed. There are far more reliable place to watch Northern Lights in Canada, but that night you would have thought Banff was on that list. When you can look south and or stand in town and still see the lights, then it was a special night.. If you missed it, eat chocolate everyday until the next aurora borealis night.
As soon as I stepped outside around 11 pm, I could see the flicking of light in the dark sky, the Northern Lights were dancing. After a quick drive, I was on a trail I walked more times then I can count. With light on my head and in hand, I stopped along the the section of the rivers that had the calm water to take pictures from, I was the only one there taking pictures. I wanted to avoid where the crowds were, but after few hours I head in that direction, hoping most had made their way home. I was right, I found a quite spot shared by one other, who was out there for the same reason, to watch nature's firework.
Until next moment.
Amar
Few nights ago we had an amazing Northern Lights show in the park. The lights were visible as soon it was dark and continued most of the night. I spent time on both side of the Bow Valley taking pictures, at times the lights were visible any direction I looked. I only left for home when the show winded down, what a night.
Until next moment,
Amar
When taking pictures to show the star trails, it's not the stars moving in the sky being recorded, it's the Earth's rotation relative to the stars being captured. The location where I was standing on the surface of our planet was moving 1675 km/h, since I was moving at the same speed, I did not notice the movement. To get this image of the star trails, I took 22 thirty second images, with a one second break between each image. That works our to 11 minutes and 20 seconds, in that time Earth rotated about 316 Kilometers. Thanks to the gravitational forces at work, no gas money needed..
Until next moment,
Amar
It was a calm night, not too cold, stayed out there for over an hour watching the night sky and taking pictures. After the eyes became accustomed to the darkness, that's when the sky lights up with the stars.
Until next moment,
Amar
I was hoping to catch the Northern Lights, but the bright moon light played a role keeping the lights intensity down. Instead I came back with a night picture of Mount Rundle and Fairholme Rage lit up by the moon and a bonus, Jupiter in the night sky.
Until next moment,
Amar
Starting to take advantages of shorter days to get out and take pictures of nightscapes. Here is one of Mount Rundle under star trails.
Until next moment,
Amar
No luck with a picture of the meteor shower, but had some luck with star trails pictures. I was taking 15 second long pictures, hoping to catch one or two images with meteors. I got to see several but none made the frame of my pictures. So I decided to combine the 15 second images to make the one posted.
Until next moment,
Amar
It was a good thing I had the following day off, because the night was short the northern lights did not become visible until well after mid-night and few hours later dawn was on its way. But before that took place, many of us got to see a beautiful light show in the sky, thanks to the Northern lights. One of the brightest moment was seeing a very bright shooting star, did not get a picture of it, but something my brain will never let me forget. Once I was finish shooting the lights, I though I get an hour of rest before getting pictures of the sunrise. I was too excited to get any rest, before I knew it I was looking for a different spot to take pictures of the sunrise around Peyto Lake. The sunrise was great as well, picture of that a another time.
Until next moment,
Amar
Another picture from that special night. I like many other stopped taking pictures that night not because the light show stopped, but because we started running out of darkness. In this picture I was looking south, that's how great the night was.
Until next moment,
Amar
It was the night of Northern Lights. With the warm weather it was not hard to time outside taking in the lights and taking as any pictures I could.
Until next moment,
Amar
Left where most were watching and taking pictures of the Northern Lights to a quite place. I decided to to do long exposures to create star trails, but there is always a chance one takes. In this case others playing a role in the picture unintentionally. In this case a car leaving on the right. I decided to let it be part of the end picture.
Cheers,
Amar
Mount Rundle at night from the other week. Did not get to get out at night as much as I had hoped, but the few times I did I was happy with the result. The ice I was standing on and also what you see is no longer there, the warm weather has taken it away. Which will provide other opportunities for picture taking, always have to adapt to the changes.
Until next moment,
Amar
One time or another we all looked up toward the dark sky and tried to count the stars. Growing up in the city you would think there are not many, the city lights making it difficult except for the bright ones to be seen. Here in the Banff National Park all that changed, there seems to be no end to how many can be seen on a clear dark night. Just in our galaxy the Milky Way along a conservative estimate is that are at least hundred billion stars. Beyond Milky Way there are at least hundred billion more galaxies, that's lot of fingers needed to count them all.
Until next moment,
Amar
It was a surreal feel to the night, thanks to bit of a fog and low clouds in the valley. The lights from the town doing their part lighting up the surrounding. And throw in a bit of Northern Lights colour, it all added to a dramatic look and feel.
This image is the last of the series taken few nights ago. Before the clouds moved in, my eyes and of course the camera's sensor could see the Northern Lights. I was bit under the weather that night, but it was hard staying inside. Glad I got out.
Until next moment,
Amar