Mid June Night Sky

It was a beautiful clear night and I decided that we would go out to Gooseberry after dropping off a son at work and photograph the Milky Way, plus the opportunity to capture Venus and Jupiter and the same frame.  Arriving at Gooseberry, there were a moderate number of cars present, and a group of people would down on the beach with a bonfire.  However, with a group of people were did not interfere with our photography.

First, looking over Rhode Island Sound (Atlantic Ocean) toward the shore of Rhode Island, they were actually three bright objects in a row, Venus, Jupiter and Regulus.  Toward the end of the month, Jupiter and Venus will approach the closest conjuncture that they will have until October 2017.  Starting around June 18, you will be able to see the crescent moon below, Jupiter, Venus and Regulus.

Venus, Jupiter and Regulus, Looking toward Rhode Island Over Rhode Island Sound

Venus, Jupiter and Regulus With Text

The Milky Way is rising in the south, and as the month progresses, the Milky Way will rise higher in the sky and start moving toward the west.

Milky Way Panorama, Utilizing 24 Mm Lens

Milky Way, Utilizing 14 Mm Lens

At the end of the month.  I am planning on a workshop not only to photograph the Milky Way, but also to photograph fireflies.  Keep tuned for more information.

Besides the Milky Way, Venus, Jupiter, and Regulus the Big Dipper was shining brightly in the sky.  The only problem Gooseberry is the amount of light pollution that is present along the shore from northeast through the northwest.

Big Dipper

A Long Morning at Gooseberry

Milky Way panorama at Gooseberry

Saturday, we spent a long morning at Gooseberry, from 3:15 AM until 7:30 AM.  It was a very clear night, with a brisk wind blowing in the Milky Way rising out of the Southwest and continuing overhead toward the Northeast.  The Milky Way presented different opportunities to photograph from various positions.  In fact, in some of the photographs, we even captured meteors and satellites.

Milky Way at Gooseberry

Milky Way at Gooseberry

Milky Way at Gooseberry

A few clouds started drifting in and as we waited for dawn to break, I took pictures of astronomical, nautical and civil dawn and then finally the sunrise.  We had some good color, but, if there were more clouds.  I think we would had had better color.  At the time of astronomical dawn, I was able to photograph the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia and Polaris.

Astronomical Dawn with the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia and Polaris

Nautical Dawn

Civil Dawn

sunrise

After sunrise, I utilize the golden light to take some landscapes along with different birds in flight.  What really made it interesting was the number of common loons flying overhead, which present the great subjects to photograph.

Landscape In the Golden Light

Common Loon in the Golden Light

Common Grackle's in the Golden Light

A wedge of swans flew from West to East and I was able to get one picture with the wings of the swans almost up and down.

Wedge of Mute Swans

Yellow warblers were flitting around and presented great subjects to photograph in a flowering tree.

Yellow Warbler in a Flowering Tree

Common Yellowthroat

To process the Milky Way photographs.  I utilized Collier's suggestion in his new book that I recently reviewed. http://photobee1.blogspot.com/2015/05/colliers-guide-to-night-photography-in.html



Using the coupon code mborn you will receive a 15% discount on any or all of the Topaz plug-ins.



Help Support my blog by purchasing from Amazon. Clicking on this link and utilizing the link does not cost you anything.
BUY FROM AMAZON

The Sky at the Stone Barn

I spent another interesting evening at the Stone Barn property of Allens Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary in the company of my son and grandson, who are both photographers (my grandson is learning) photographing the nights sky.  Leaving home to travel out to Westport/Dartmouth, the sky had become very cloudy and overcast, however, arriving in Westport, there were only occasional clouds around.  An interesting fact is that driving down the road, prior to turning into the road leading to the Stone Barn, we were in Westport, Massachusetts, and once we got onto the road leading to the barn, we were in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Gibbous Moon

my son observing the sky, and Venus



Venus surrounded by clouds

 

the sky at nautical dusk



n

The s

Orion and Venus

Venus in the Pleiades

We arrived just after sunset and in the sky was a large waxing gibbous Moon (the full Moon will be in 2 days) that was lighting up the sky. By the wayhe Moon light the buildings and scenery so I did not have light paint.

In the Western sky, Venus was brightly shining, but there was a bank of clouds coming in out of the Northwest.  The clouds gave an interesting affect to the sky, especially during nautical dusk and the clouds intermittently covered Venus and the Moon.  The clouds continued to rule intermittently through the area, however, we still had extremely great views of the sky, the stars and constellations.

Big Dipper and Polaris above the Stone Barn

Star Trails

I would have liked to spend at least an hour, killing start trails, but because of some time constraints and the bright moon, I was only able to do a 20 min. exposure of the Big Dipper and Polaris over the top of the Stone Barn
.