Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

March 13, 2024

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks remains in the western sky–visible as twilight fades. But don’t wait too long in the evening or it gets too low in the western sky and becomes difficult to see. Also, it requires long exposure photographs or binoculars/telescope to see. There are projections that it may brighten to become just barely visible to the unaided eye in a few weeks.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. This is a single image taken with a 500mm telephoto lens.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on 04 March 2024. Stack of 13 x 120 second images.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. A stack of images with Max value so that satellite tracks are not removed.

I’ve had several opportunities recently to photography the comet including its positioning in the sky near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). A normal to short telephoto lens (i.e, ~50 to 85mm) was a good choice for capturing both objects while a longer telephoto (i.e., 180mm or even 500mm) worked best for isolating the comet.

Bonus photo: Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken 13 January 2020.

Of course, the comet is not the only object in the sky. Satellites are constantly moving across the sky. Fortunately, software can remove the tracks by stacking multiple photographs and taking the Median or the Mean value at each pixel. On the other hand, it can be useful to take the Max value at each pixel to illustrate the number of satellites crossing even a small portion of the sky in a short period of time.

Run, Bike, Ski

March 2, 2024

It’s great that one can do all three of these in the winter. Ski in Flagstaff; run and mountain bike in the deserts. We have done all three this winter with the emphasis on running. Here are a collection of photos from this winter.

Group of runners stand around pools of water (01/20/2024).

X-C skiing at Fort Tuthill (02/09/2024).

Trail run on Sketch Trail, Sedona (02/13/2024).

Snowy run on Schultz Pass Road (02/15/2024).

Trail run on Margs Draw, Sedona (02/17/2024).

Mountain biking on Little Rock Trail, Sedona (02/20/2024).

Trail run on Lower Chimney Trail, Flagstaff (02/22/2024).

Trail run on Woods Canyon Trail, Sedona (03/02/2024).

Bonus photo from last year’s epic winter. Yeah, untracked powder!

Preparing to descend Flying Dutchman chute, Mt. Humphreys (01/18/2023).

Winter Sunrise

February 6, 2024 / 2 Comments

The sunrise after a winter storm often results in beautiful scenery and colors. Low-lying areas may have shallow fog. Mountains may have multiple layers of clouds. All of this is enhanced by the low sun angle as it first rises above the horizon.

Low clouds and fog partially obscure the San Francisco Peaks as the sun rises (24 Jan 2024).

On the other hand, getting up before sunrise, driving on snow-packed roads, and standing around shooting photos with cold temperatures is a challenge. But the results are often worth the effort. Here are a few sunrise photographs.

Wispy clouds cap the San Francisco Peaks (08 Jan 2024).

First light on some old ranching structures near Mormon Lake (08 Jan 2024).

Earth's shadow can be seen behind the San Francisco Peaks in this pre-sunrise image (26 Jan 2024). — Earth’s shadow can be seen behind the San Francisco Peaks in this pre-sunrise image (26 Jan 2024).

Telephoto image of snow and clouds on the San Francisco Peaks (26 Jan 2024).

Layers of clouds are draped across Mingus Mountain (03 Feb 2024).

This week should bring lots of snow to northern Arizona. I hope to get some interesting photographs.

Rocket Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base

December 26, 2023

I was fortunate to see another spectacular launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Christmas Eve morning. I typically check the launch listing sites every few days to keep track of when the next launch will be. These are listed weeks or even months ahead of the launch date–although the dates can and do change. There are exceptions to this advance posting: certain top-secret satellites are often announced with only 24 hours notice. The SARah 2 & 3 satellites had this abbreviated announcement.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch the SARah 2 & 3 satellites into LEO (Low Earth Orbit). Exhaust from the second stage is illuminated by the Sun as it ascends.

Fortunately, I happened to check the updated schedule about 12 hours before launch so I was able to make preparations for viewing it.

The launch was scheduled for 0611 MST (0511 PST) on the morning of December 24. I went north of Flagstaff to the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

The launch was on time at 0611 MST and about a minute later I was able to see the rocket as it rose above the horizon. I wasalso able to photograph the first stage separation. A few minutes later the high-level clouds appeared once the rocket had ascended high enough to be illuminated by the Sun–which was still well below the horizon at my location.

Here are a few photographs of the launch plus a time-lapse video that shows the dramatic expansion of the high-altitude cloud from the rocket exhaust.

SpaceX/Falcon 9 launch of the SARah 2 & 3 satellites.

The next launch is in a week but may be too late in the evening to catch the last light of twilight.

Autumn Colors in Northern Arizona

November 8, 2023

October and November brings color to the foliage in northern Arizona. This year, however, the colors have been subdued and the color change has been over an extended period of time rather than a sharp peak. Nonetheless, it’s always a fun time to get out and photograph. These photographs were taken between October 10 and November 1.