Galaxys, stars, a meteor and a dome.

The beginning of morning twilight has started so the sky is very blue.  Near the top left of this image is a meteor streaking through the sky in the edge of our Milky Way Galaxy.  If you look closely just below the top of the dome and about halfway between the dome and the band of the Milky Way, you can see the most distant object visible to the unaided eye (in a dark sky, anyway) - the Andromeda Galaxy.  Watch out because the Andromeda Galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way and one day, our two galaxies will merge into a giant mess at least for a while.  Don't worry, it's still a few billion years in the future, but be sure to mark you calendars.....  This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye at f/2.8 with an exposure of 30 seconds and ISO 1600.  The dome houses our 1.8-meter Spacewatch Telescope on Kitt Peak.

A bonus image from a little earlier than the previous image.  The International Space Station is orbiting rather close to the terminator - the boundary between day and night on Earth so that it is visible longer after sunset and before sunrise.  Here is the ISS this morning over the 4-meter dome on Kitt Peak.  The trail starts above the north star, Polaris, and ends above the constellation of Cassiopeia in the Milky Way as it moved from left to right in this image.  This exposure was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens at f/2.8, ISO 800 and a 30 second exposure.  The domes, along the horizon left of the 4-meter dome are the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope and the 36 inch Spacewatch Telescope.

Lunar Halos on Kitt Peak

In case anyone is wondering why I'm not doing any observing early this evening, the sky over Kitt Peak is covered by a thin haze and the first quarter moon is producing a very bright halo in the sky. This image includes the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope dome in an image with my 10mm fisheye lens on my 70D with an exposure of 8 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.  The 22 degree halo is quite prominent in this image.

I took a little hike over past the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope and got this heavenly picture of the lunar halo around the dome.  You can see that they were open, though I can't imagine they are getting any useful data....  The exposure was 20 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 1600 with my 10mm fisheye lens on my 70D.  Not only is the 22 degree halo prominent, but I think you can also make out the 46 degree halo faintly, especially in the preview image.

And finally at the top of Kitt Peak, here is the 4-meter Mayall telescope under the moonlit sky.  This exposure with my 10mm lens on my 70D was 20 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 1600.  It almost looks like daylight in this image, but I can assure you, it was just a long exposure in the moonlight.  The 4-meter was also open despite the cirrus all over the sky.  The faint 46 degree halo appears to visible in this image as well which convinces me that it really was visible.

Morning Twilight

As the morning twilight grows in strength, telescopes on the north end of Kitt Peak prepare to shut down. In this image, the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope left of center is visible with the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok telescope and KPNO 4-m Mayall Telescope near center. Just right of the 4-m is the glint of an Earth orbiting satellite. The Big Dipper is near the top of the frame. This image was taken with my 10mm fisheye lens with an exposure of 59 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Sunset on Kitt Peak

While observing at the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope, we got this view to the south around sunset. It was a pretty sunset for a photographer, but not very pretty for an astronomer..... This view shows the Spacewatch 36 inch dome in the foreground and the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope in the background. This image was taken with my 20D with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/5.6 and ISO 400 with my kit lens at 55mm focal length.

South Ridge, Kitt Peak, version 2

I looked at this image again and decided I didn't like the higher contrast and taht I couldn't see into the shadows as well, so I redid it just a little. Maybe I'll tone it next.... :-)

South Ridge, Kitt Peak

I took this image last week during my observing run on Kitt Peak. From left to right are the NOAO 36 inch telescope, the small visitors center dome which houses a Meade LX200 14 or 16 inch telescope and the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope. This image was taken at 70mm focal length with my 70-300mm zoom with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/8, ISO 400. Converted to B&W in Picasa.

Morning Twilight

Last Wednesday morning after a productive night of observing, the twilight grows bright as sunrise approaches. Some distant clouds are lit orange and the Earth's shadow sinks in the last moments of twilight. The Spacewatch 36 inch dome is still open (that was my next stop before heading to bed) and the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok telescope dome and Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall telescopes are at right. This image was taken with my 24mm lens at f/2.8 with an exposure of 1/250 seconds, ISO 400.

Snow and clouds

It snowed during the day on Sunday and overnight on Sunday night with about 1-2 inches accumulated. Most of the snow was gone by the time I got up on Monday except for on the north sides of hills and buildings, and under trees. This view towards the south ridge of Kitt Peak from the top of the 36 inch dome looks into areas that are still snow covered. This image was taken with my 24mm lens with an exposure of 1/400 seconds at f/8, ISO 100.

Sunrise approaches

This view of the north end of Kitt Peak was taken well before sunrise and handheld with my 24mm lens. The telescopes visible here (or at least their domes) are, from left to right, the Spacewatch 0.9-m telescope, the Stewrd Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope and the Kitt Peak 4-m Mayall Telescope. This image was taken with an exposure of 1/50 seconds at f/1.8, ISO 1600.

The LBT on Mount Graham

Last observing run, I took this image of the LBT (Large Binocular Telescope) on Mt. Graham from Kitt Peak. Look carefully near the center of the image and you'll see a square bump which is the humongous building (seen in images I took back in April of this year or September of last year from the VATT, as well as some fine images of it by my friend Dave on his blog). The building is about 113 miles away! You can see almost forever from Kitt Peak. Or at least all the way to Mt. Graham. This image was taken at 300mm focal length with an exposure of 1/200 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 400.

Colorful sunset

It always pays to look around when you're taking pictures. This view towards the north shows the Kitt Peak 4-meter Mayall Telescope and the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescopes lit by the setting sun. This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/8, ISO 400.

Stormy weather on Kitt Peak

There is plenty of stormy weather on Kitt Peak during the summer monsoon season where thunder storms and rain are a common sight all over southern Arizona. This view north shows a small break in the dark storm clouds along with the Bok and Mayall telescopes. This image was taken at 25mm focal length with an exposure of 1/320 seconds at f/11, ISO 100.

The view north

Before taking the previous pictures, I started a panorama with this shot of the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope and the KPNO 4 meter Mayall Telescope. This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/250 seconds at f/11, ISO 100.

Winter on Mt. Graham

A bit of a surprise at how much snow fell up here on Mount Graham yesterday. I was expecting at best fluries or maybe an inch, but it was snowy and cold most of the day with about 4-6 inches accumulated. This image shows the SMT in the foreground with the LBT appearing to come out of the misty clouds. The image was taken with my 24mm lens at f/8 with an exposure of 1/250 seconds, ISO 100.

B&W Sunset

This view towards the south ridge shows the Spacewatch 36 inch dome at left with the WIYN telescope in the middle distance just before sunset. After yesterdays B&W conversion and after watching the PBS American Experience episode on Ansel Adams last night, I couldn't help but publish this in B&W, though showing off the pretty color version is still very tempting..... This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/60 seconds at f/8, ISO 400, converted in Picasa to B&W using a moderate red filter. Stronger red causes more grain patterns to appear.

Just before sunrise - B&W

I've always liked looking at sunrise or sunset photos in black and white - the diverse range of shades are quite spectacular and make up for the lack of color. This image is the same as the next one on this page, converted to B&W with a red color selection in Picasa.

Just before sunrise

This image was taken just before the crack of sunrise picture and shows the sunlight clouds above Kitt Peak. The McMath solar telescope and Spacewatch 1.8-meter dome are visible in the right third of the image. Near center on the horizon is the Santa Rita mountains featuring Mt. Hopkins where the MMT telescope is located. A pretty sunrise like this is an indication of a difficult night of observing with all these clouds about. This image was taken at 18mm focal length with an exposure of 1/200 seconds at f/8, ISO 400.

Domes at sunset

Another shot from last night just before sunset. Here, the Spacewatch 36 inch telescope is in the foreground with the Steward Observatory 90 inch Bok Telescope and the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4-meter Mayall Telescopes in the background.