Part-time prevaricator
Today, after breakfast, I sat down and wrote about 1,500 words (I really wanted to get the manuscript up over 39,000, and I just managed it). Then I read for a bit, and around lunch hopped into the car to go check out Big Valley.
Continue reading “Writing Retreat 2022: Wednesday”
Last night, the aurora data looked good, and also the sky was clear (unlike other nights lately). I packed my camera and tripod, then headed out to one of my favourite spots (Twin Pines Field, let’s call it) about 10:45pm.
The temperature dropped while I was out, going from about 24°C to 17°C. Everything got coated with a slick of dew, including—as you can see in the last photo—my lens[1]Actually, it was the transparent UV filter over the lens, which was much easier to wipe clean. Phew..
All told, I shot almost a thousand images, each one a 5‑second exposure[2]Nerds: 11mm, 5s, f/2.8, ISO 3200., which conveniently means that making a timelapse at 12 frames a second creates a video where 1 second of video = 1 minute of real time. So my hour and twenty minutes at Twin Pines Field condenses into a minute and twenty seconds for your edutainment.
Enjoy!
The aurora forecast was great, but the earthly forecast was clouds, clouds, clouds. I ventured out anyway, hoping against hope for a small break in the clouds.
On the back road I chose, there were clouds all around, and lightning—lots of it—to the south and east. I didn’t hear any thunder, but there were moments where the clouds lit up from within. I managed to get one bright bolt in focus.
Looking up, I saw that there was indeed a break in the clouds, just large enough for Jupiter to shine through. If you view the photo full-size, you’ll see two moons as well: Callisto on the left and Ganymede on the right (if I’m using this tool correctly).
Then, before heading home, I decided to take a couple shots of the northern sky. There was a hint of green to it. This is the best photo I managed of the aurora trying to peek through the clouds.
And then I went home.
About 20km from my house, it’s dark enough for photos like these.
Nerdy details: all photos were shot at 11mm, f/2.8, 30 seconds, 3200 ISO. The landscape-oriented image is a panorama stitched from 12 photos (which explains the gravity-defying hydro lines).
Compare and contrast: Last month.
These photos were taken very early on July 1st, between about midnight and half past one, about 2 miles east of the junction of Highways #2 and #10.
All the photos—including the 180 in the timelapse—were taken at 11mm, 20 second exposure, f/2.8, ISO 3200. (Can you spot the fireflies?)
I left the house last night around 11:30pm and headed south by southeast, looking for a nice dark spot to get some Milky Way photos. I got set up on a gravel road about 3 miles east of the junction of Highways #10 and #2, and started snapping. Here are some of the shots I liked the most.
I had intended to take an hour’s worth of photos, but my camera battery died after about 47 minutes and I didn’t notice for a while (I was reading in the car). Oh well, so it goes. Here’s the 47 minutes compressed into a few seconds’ worth of timelapse video.
Then, as I was leaving, I noticed the moon was setting over a small pond, so I got a shot of that, too.
The aurora data were pretty meh last night, but I went out anyway and got some shots of the Milky Way climbing in the east. The video is the better part of an hour’s images, all shot at 11mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200.
On the evening of May 15, 2022, the Earth’s shadow fell completely across the face of the moon.
… and it happened early enough that I was still awake, so I took my camera and tripod out to the sidewalk and snapped a few dozen photos. These three are my favourites.
There wasn’t any aurora visible, but I got 20 minutes worth of Earth’s rotation under a half moon.
It’s been a while since I went out chasing aurora. Tonight the clouds stayed away, and the temperature, while chilly, didn’t feel like it was going to kill me. I got a couple shots of the aurora, faint and hugging the northern horizon…
…and also an hour or so’s worth of star trails, including what looks like an iridium flare. (It looks like my camera moved at some point early in the hour. I didn’t jostle it; maybe the wind shifted it slightly.)
