Cindy Beckett
Star Trails and the Aurora
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
May 27, 2017
I was set up for shooting star trails at the Temple of the Moon (rock formation) on this evening, and so was facing north. Bright moving light was visible on the horizon, but there are no nearby towns, so I thought it was people setting up a camp at first. After checking a few exposures on the camera though I was picking up the familiar colors of the aurora and realized what it was. I was lucky to have done some long exposures that really captured the moving lights along with the star trails. This image is a single long exposure, not blended. The next day, I found there were confirmed reports of the aurora visible as far south as central Utah, an unusual occurrence. It was exciting to be there in this designated International Dark Sky Park to be able to see & photograph this beautiful event.
Star Trails and the Aurora
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
May 27, 2017
I was set up for shooting star trails at the Temple of the Moon (rock formation) on this evening, and so was facing north. Bright moving light was visible on the horizon, but there are no nearby towns, so I thought it was people setting up a camp at first. After checking a few exposures on the camera though I was picking up the familiar colors of the aurora and realized what it was. I was lucky to have done some long exposures that really captured the moving lights along with the star trails. This image is a single long exposure, not blended. The next day, I found there were confirmed reports of the aurora visible as far south as central Utah, an unusual occurrence. It was exciting to be there in this designated International Dark Sky Park to be able to see & photograph this beautiful event.