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amazingskyguy.bsky.social
Alan Dyer
@amazingskyguy.bsky.social
260 followers 12 following 96 posts
I am an astrophotographer and astronomy author living in Alberta, Canada.
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amazingskyguy.bsky.social
Two views of the rising waning Moon from November 6, 2025, the day after the Full Moon. It's here rising into the blue twilight amid some clouds and over the prairie rangeland near home in southern Alberta.
The almost Full Moon rising over the rangeland prairie of southern Alberta, on November 6, 2025. The Moon was a day and a half past Full at this time but was rising shortly after sunset amid low clouds into a deep blue twilight sky in the northeast. This is a single metered exposure with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 270mm on the Canon R5. The almost Full Moon rising over the rangeland prairie of southern Alberta, on November 6, 2025. The Moon was a day and a half past Full at this time but was rising shortly after sunset amid clouds into a deep blue twilight sky in the northeast. This is a single metered exposure with the Canon RF100-400mm lens at 400mm on the Canon R5.
November 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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Two views of the rich collections of nebulas and star clusters in the Cygnus and Cepheus areas of the northern Milky Way, in versions with and without labels. Both taken at the end of September at the Southern Alberta Star Party. Tech details in the Alt Text.
This is a "deep" exposure of the constellations of Cassiopeia the Queen and Cepheus the King, to pick up the many reddish emission nebulas in the area, some relatively bright, but others very faint and extensive throughout this region of the northern Milky Way. Also in the frame are many open star clusters. The distinctive 5 stars of the W of Cassiopeia are at left. Technical: This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered exposures: - A stack of 72 x 1-minute exposures through an Astronomik dual narrowband UHC clip-in filter, at ISO 1600. - A stack of 21 x 1-minute exposures through a mild light pollution filter, a 95mm NISI Night, at ISO 800. - A single exposure through a 95mm Tiffen Black Mist filter contributed some of the star glows on the bright stars. - All at f/2 with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 35mm, on the red-sensitive Canon Ra, and on the MSM Nomad tracker. This is a "deep" exposure of the constellations of Cygnus the Swan and the southern part of Cepheus the King, to pick up the many reddish emission nebulas in the area, some relatively bright, but others very faint and extensive throughout this region of the northern Milky Way. Also in the frame are many open star clusters. And at top is the bright star Vega in Lyra the Harp. Between Vega and Deneb is the field the Kepler exoplanet search satellite stared at for several years. At centre is the bright Cygnus Starcloud, rich in stars and also red nebulas, and bisected by the Dark Rift in the Milky Way from interstellar dust. Technical: This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered exposures: - A stack of 25 x 1.5-minute exposures through an Astronomik dual narrowband UHC clip-in filter, at ISO 1600. - A stack of 29 x 1.5-minute exposures through a mild light pollution filter, a 95mm NISI Night, at ISO 800. - A stack of 8 exposures through a 95mm Tiffen Black Mist filter contributed the star glows on the bright stars. - All at f/2 with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 35mm, on the red-sensitive Canon Ra, and on the MSM Nomad tracker.
November 5, 2025 at 3:43 AM
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Here's a selection of images of Northern Lights captured last month off the coast of Norway on the Hurtigruten ferry ship m/s Nordkapp, during a 12-day cruise along the coast where I was serving as an instructor for a Road Scholar tour group. All are short 1 - 2 second exposures.
November 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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This is Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) in a moonlit evening sky scene over the Elbow River at Elbow Falls, in Kananaskis Country, southern Alberta.
This was October 29, 2025. Tech details in the Alt Text.
The comet had passed closest to Earth a week earlier but was still a week away from its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion. The comet was exhibiting a long straight blue ion tail and a shorter curving shot dust tail, typical of many comets. Warm light from a low first quarter Moon off camera to the left illuminates the scene and casts the shadows across the river shore. The comet was departing the constellation of Serpens this night (whose stars are at right) and was heading into southern Hercules. Technical: This is a blend of — – A stack of 8 x 30 seconds, tracked on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker, for the sky, with ... – A stack of 2 x 60 seconds, untracked, for the ground, with LENR turned on for hot pixel elimination – All with the Canon R5 at ISO 400 and RF28-70mm lens at 35mm and f/2. The sky stack was Median combined to eliminate the many Starlink satellite trails. No filters were employed.
October 30, 2025 at 11:09 PM
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A panorama of auroral arcs across the northern sky, along with Comet Lemmon, small and to the left here above bright Arcturus. This was October 21, 2025 on the coast of Norway aboard the m/s Nordkapp. Details in Alt Text.
This is a panorama of a set of dim red and green arcs of aurora across the northern sky defining the auroral oval, taken from the coast of Norway, on October 21, 2025. At left is the short streak of Comet Lemmon, aka C/2025 A6, then bright in the northern sky, above the bright star Arcturus. The Kp Index was only about 1.5 this night, but from this location under the auroral oval at latitude 70º N the aurora is active most nights. This was early in the evening; the aurora brightened later this night. The Big Dipper and Ursa Major are at left of centre. Bright Jupiter is just rising from behind the mountain at right of centre, below Castor and Pollux in Gemini. At right are the stars of Auriga and Taurus rising, including Capella at top and Aldebaran at far right below the Pleiades. The location is from north of Tromsø, aboard the Hurtigruten ferry ship the m/s Nordkapp. North is at centre; northwest to the left and northeast and east to the right off the stern of the ship. We were on a southwesterly bearing at this time. Technical: This is a stitch of 5 segments, each 2 seconds with the Viltrox 16mm lens at f/1.8 on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 6400. Stitched in PTGui with some manual masking adjustments to blend seams and content from shots taken on the moving ship.
October 29, 2025 at 7:45 PM
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Three views of Comet Lemmon #cometlemmon (C/2026 A6) from Oct 26: wide in the evening twilight above Arcturus, and a telephoto closeup, without satellites (subtracted via stacking) & with the many satellites that crossed the field in 20 min., most #Starlink. Details in Alt Text.
This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in the western evening sky in a moderately wide view on October 26, 2025. It is showing a straight blue ion gas tail, with a hint of the shorter curving white dust tail. The comet was just visible to the unaided eye, and in 9x45 binoculars about a 2º - 3º tail was easily visible. The comet was in Serpens. The bright star at lower right is Arcturus. The field is about 45º by 30º. Technical: This is a blend of — - stack of 5 x 30-second exposures, tracked, for the sky - with a stack of 2 x 30-second exposures, untracked, for the ground and clouds All with the camera on a Star Adventurer 2i tracker. With the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 44mm and f/2 and on the Canon R5 at ISO 400. Taken from home in Alberta with the comet low in the west and setting into the remaining evening twlight and the bright skyglow from Calgary. Satellites plagued every frame but median stacking the sky frames eliminated them. This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in the western sky in a telephoto closeup on October 26, 2025. It is showing the two classic tails of comets: a whitish-yellow curving dust tail and the straight blue ion gas tail. The latter is about 7º long here. The comet was just visible to the unaided eye, and in 9x45 binoculars about a 2º - 3º tail was easily visible. The comet was in Serpens. The bright star in the tail is Beta Serpentis. The field is 10º by 15º. Technical: This is a stack of 28 x 16-second exposures with the camera on a Star Adventurer 2i tracker. With the Canon RF135mm lens at f/1.8 and on the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Taken from home in Alberta with the comet low in the west and setting into the bright skyglow from Calgary. Satellites plagued every frame but median stacking them eliminated them. While the comet did move slightly against the background stars during the 7 minutes of accumulated exposure time it did not blur the comet enough at this scale to fuss with the process of aligning stars and comet separately. This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in a stack of telephoto closeups, processed to add the frames together, to accumulate the many satellite trails that crossed the frames diuring the exposures, rather than average them out as would normally be done now. This is a stack of 45 x 16-second exposures taken over about 22 minutes (other frames in the sequence were not used as they were trailed slightly due to wind). Most of the trails are from SpaceX Starlink satellites, if only by virture of the fact that Starlinks are by far the most numerous satellies in orbit. But the trails also look blue (the generation of Starlinks current as of this date are designed to reflect mostly blue light) and they run in sets of parallel streaks from several launch batches crossing the field. The comet was in Serpens this night, October 26, 2025. The bright star in the tail is Beta Serpentis. The field is 10º by 15º. Technical: This is a stack of 45 x 16-second exposures with the camera on a Star Adventurer 2i tracker. With the Canon RF135mm lens at f/1.8 and on the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Taken from home in Alberta with the comet low in the west and setting into the bright skyglow from Calgary. The comet's right to left motion against the background stars during the 22 minutes of accumulated exposure time does blur or trail the comet itself slightly.
October 28, 2025 at 12:24 AM
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This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in the moonlit evening sky on October 10, over the northern horizon, and the lights of a farm. The waning gibbous Moon was rising in the east off camera, lighting the sky and landscape.

Details in Alt Text.
The comet was brightening and rising higher into the northern evening sky at this time, October 10, 2025. The comet was just visible in 50mm binoculars as a fuzzy star. A short tail is visible in the photo, with the aid of contrast enhancement! The comet was in Ursa Major below the Big Dipper. Taken from home in southern Alberta. The field is 10º by 15º. Technical: This is a blend of a stack of: - 4 x 15-second exposures untracked for the ground, - 4 x 15-second exposures tracked for the sky, - with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.8 and on the Canon R5 at ISO 1000, and on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker.
October 11, 2025 at 4:12 AM
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Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) in the evening sky (wide shot above the foreground) and morning sky (telescope close-up), in the moonlight, Oct 8/9, 2025. It is visible in binoculars but only just, as a fuzzy star. It will brighten thru October as it moves higher into the evening sky. Details in Alt Text.
This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in the moonlit sky over the northern horizon, and above the lights of a large farm. The Moon was just 2 days past full. The comet was brightening and rising higher into the northen evening sky at this time, October 8, 2025. The comet was just visible in 50mm binoculars as a fuzzy star. A short tail is visible in the photo, with the aid of contrast enhancement! Taken from home in southern Alberta. The field is 10º by 15º. Technical: The sky is a stack of 4 x 15-second exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/3.2 and on the Canon R5 at ISO 640, and on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker. The ground is from one of those tracked frames, so it is trailed slightly. This is Comet Lemmon (aka C/2025 A6) in a bright moonlit sky, in a telescopic closeup, showing the cyan-tinted head and the blue ion gas tail. The tail would have showed up better had the sky been darker, but the waning gibbous Moon was lighting the sky. This was at about 5:00 am on the morning of October 9, 2025 with a very clear but brght sky. Taken from home in southern Alberta. The field is 5º by 3.3º. The comet was in the "hind feet" of Ursa Major at this time, and in the northeast dawn sky. But it was circumpolar and visible from my latitude all night. It was just visible in binoculars as a fuzzy star, but only if you knew exactly where to look. Technical: This is a stack of 20 x 30-second exposures with the Askar SQA85mm astrographic refractor at its native f/4.8 and the Canon R5 at ISO 1600, and on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount tracking the stars, but with no auto-guiding. All exposures were through an Optolong L-Pro broad dual-band filter to suppress the moonlight somewhat, using the just-purchased Askar FIlter Drawer to insert the filter into the light path. I made no attempt to align and process the stars and comet separately, so the motion of the comet against the background stars over the 10 minutes of exposure does blur its image slightly. Contrast enhancements brought out the faint tail against the bright background.
October 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
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This is me during a successful observation of the occultation of the Pleiades star cluster by the waning gibbous Moon on October 9, 2025, from home in Alberta.

What I was seeing through the eyepiece at that moment is depicted in the inset screenshot from the SkySafari app.

Details in Alt Text.
This is me during a successful observation of the occultation of the Pleiades star cluster by the waning gibbous Moon on October 9, 2025, from home in Alberta. What I was seeing through the eyepiece at that moment is depicted in the inset screenshot from the SkySafari app, with the Moon having just uncovered the bright stars Maia and Merope at the time. In the app the Moon is flipped left to right to match the view through the eyepiece and star diagonal. I had the app running on the iPad on the table so I could follow the fast-changing course of events. It was facinating to watch stars wink out behind the bright advancing limb of the Moon, then some minutes later wink back in an instant from behind the dark receding limb of the Moon. At times there were nearly simultaneous disappearances and reappearances – they were happening in quick succession. The reappearance of bright Alcyone and its fainter companion star moments apart (they are behind the Moon here) was the grand finale of the night. I was using my faithful "eclipse scope," the Astro-Physics Traveler, a 105mm apo refractor made in 1993, with a TeleVue 6mm Delos eyepiece. So mark another "eclipse notch" on its barrel — it has been to 4 totals and 2 annular solar eclipses. It was on the AP Mach1 mount, which I had used earlier in the day before dawn to shoot Comet Lemmon, using another scope. A pair of 10x56 Maven binoculars are on the table to compare the view through binos. The Moon is overexposed at top and its glare hides the Pleiades. But the Hyades cluster in Taurus is below, though the sky is defocused to have the foreground sharp. Technical: This is a single 6-second exposure with the Nikon Z8 and Nikkor 50mm lens, with a red flashlight and an on-camera flash for fill and foreground lighting.
October 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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This is the complex of nebulas on the border of Cassiopeia and Cepheus called the Question Mark Nebula. It is made of NGC 7822, Ced214 and Sharpless 2-170 making the dot of the question mark.
Taken at the Southern Alberta Star Party in the Alberta Cypress Hills.
Details in the Alt Text.
This is the complex array of nebulas collectively known as the Question Mark Nebula, for obvious reasons perhaps! However, in processing the image to bring out the most nebulosity, the question mark form has become a bit lost! The complex is made of: - the top arc, which is officailly NGC 7822 or Sharpless 2-171, - the middle roundish nebula catalogued as Cederblad 214, - and the isolated "dot" of the question mark below, which is Sharpless 2-170, but is also known as the Little Rosette Nebula. The field at bottom is laced with lots of faint bits of red hydrogen-alpha nebulosity. And some small round and blue reflection nebulas lie below the main emission nebulas, notably van den Bergh 2 (vdB2) at left. The nebulas lie on the Cassiopeia-Cepheus border with the top nebulas in Cassiopeia and the Little Rosette across the border in Cepheus. Several star clusters are in the field: - King 11 is off the top right edge of NGC 7822, looking yellowed by dust absorption, - Below and amid the NGC 7822 nebulosity is Berkeley 59 above the bright blue star - King 1 is far to the left of Sh2-170 at lower left The field of view is 7.8º by 5.2º. Technical: This is a blend of exposures: a set through a specialized narrowband flilter, and exposures taken unfiltered — - 10 x 10 minutes at ISO 3200 through an IDAS NBZ filter which isolates just the emission lines from green oxygen and red hydrogen in nebulas, - 10 x 5 minutes at ISO 800 without a filter for a broadband "white light" view. - All through the Askar SQA55 astrographic refractor at f/4.9 and with the astro-modified Canon EOS R camera. On the Star Adventurer GTi mount autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.
October 5, 2025 at 8:28 PM
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Two versions, with and without labels, of an odd and obscure nebula off the beaten path of the Milky Way, in Lacerta. With the better known nebulas of Cygnus in frame for comparison.

Taken at the Southern Alberta Star Party.

Details in the Alt Text.
The "Great Lacerta Nebula" is catalogued as Sharpless 2-126, and also as LBN (Lynds Bright Nebula) 428, though the Sharpless designation seems to apply just to the 2º-long lower southerly section of it near the blue star 10 Lacertae which is thought to be illuminating the nebula. However, the full size of the nebula extends much farther north making it 4º to 5º long. And it seems to be connected to a dark dusty tail extending to the right. The Lacerta Nebula is about 1200 light years away. At far right is the bright North America Nebula, NGC 7000. To the left of it is the Pelican Nebula, IC 5070. To the left of the North America are the faint arcs of the Clamshell Nebula, Sharpless 2-119. At top centre is the small round Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146, at the end of the Dark Cigar Nebula, B168. To the left of the Cocoon is the open star cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta. Above it and also in Lacerta but a bit lost here is the star cluster NGC 7243. The stars of Lacerta zig-zag down the frame at left. At top right above the North America is the long dark Funnel Cloud Nebula, LeGentil 3. The field of view here is about 30º by 20º. Technical: This is a blend of: - A stack of 40 x 90-second exposures through a broadband NiSi Natural Night 95mm filter, at ISO 800. - A stack of 58 x 90-second exposures through an Astronomik dual-narrowband UHC-B clip-in filter, at ISO 1600. - So a total of about 2.5 hours of exposure. - All with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and at f/2 on the astro-modified Canon Ra camera. And on the MSM Nomad tracker for tracked but not guided exposures. The "Great Lacerta Nebula" is catalogued as Sharpless 2-126, and also as LBN (Lynds Bright Nebula) 428, though the Sharpless designation seems to apply just to the 2º-long lower southerly section of it near the blue star 10 Lacertae which is thought to be illuminating the nebula. However, the full size of the nebula extends much farther north making it 4º to 5º long. And it seems to be connected to a dark dusty tail extending to the right. The Lacerta Nebula is about 1200 light years away. At far right is the bright North America Nebula, NGC 7000. To the left of it is the Pelican Nebula, IC 5070. To the left of the North America are the faint arcs of the Clamshell Nebula, Sharpless 2-119. At top centre is the small round Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146, at the end of the Dark Cigar Nebula, B168. To the left of the Cocoon is the open star cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta. Above it and also in Lacerta but a bit lost here is the star cluster NGC 7243. The stars of Lacerta zig-zag down the frame at left. At top right above the North America is the long dark Funnel Cloud Nebula, LeGentil 3. The field of view here is about 30º by 20º. Technical: This is a blend of: - A stack of 40 x 90-second exposures through a broadband NiSi Natural Night 95mm filter, at ISO 800. - A stack of 58 x 90-second exposures through an Astronomik dual-narrowband UHC-B clip-in filter, at ISO 1600. - So a total of about 2.5 hours of exposure. - All with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and at f/2 on the astro-modified Canon Ra camera. And on the MSM Nomad tracker for tracked but not guided exposures.
October 5, 2025 at 8:26 PM
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It was night 3 of auroras in southern Alberta, unusual to get shows in a row like this! The Lights were bright across the north as it got dark, in the moonlight, when I shot this pano. But the aurora faded and was still dim and diffuse by midnight. Details in Alt Text.
A panorama of two main arcs of aurora: a brighter well-defined arc low across the north, and a higher more diffuse arc, both amid clouds. The arcs define the sweep of the auroral oval, here to the north and likely overhead from far northern Alberta. Light from the waxing gibbous Moon behind the camera illuminates the scene with autumn colours, and the cloudy sky. The clouds, aurora and path in the grass at right converge here to the northeast where the Pleiades star cluster is rising. This is looking north with the Big Dipper at left in the northwest. Taken from home in southern Alberta on October 1, 2025 early in the evening about 8:40 pm MDT. By midnight the aurora was still very quiet despite the high Kp6 reading and NOAA Ovation oval lighting up red in aurora app displays. But after midnight I believe the aurora did brighten as a substorm finally hit, but I had gone to bed by that time! You snooze and you lose! Technical: This is a panorama of 5 segments, each 10 seconds at f/2.8 with the Nikkor 20mm lens and Nikon Z8 at ISO 800. Stitched in Camera Raw.
October 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
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Another fine show of Northern Lights, after midnight on Sept 30/October 1, with bright curtains, sometimes with pink fringes, evolving quickly into pulsating patches and flames. From southern Alberta. Details in the Alt Text.
A display of bright auroral curtains, from lower greens to upper red and magentas, with good vertical structure and rays. This was during a Kp5-6 display and substorm outburst on September 30, 2025, but after midnight on October 1. Taken from home in southern Alberta, Canada. Technical: A single 3-second exposure at f/1.8 with the Viltrox 16mm lens on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 1600. An aurora selfie during the Kp5-6 display on September 30, 2025, from home in Alberta. With the Nikon Z8 taking a time-lapse, but this taken with the Nikon Z6III and Viltrox 16mm lens. A display of bright auroral curtains, green from oxygen but displaying a lower pink fringe from nitrogen emission. This was during a Kp5-6 display and substorm outburst on September 30, 2025, but after midnight on October 1. Taken from home in southern Alberta, Canada. Technical: A single 1.6-second exposure at f/1.8 with the Viltrox 16mm lens on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 3200.
October 1, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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My latest blog presents images I shot last month on my trip through southern Saskatchewan, a great place for stargazing under the "Living Skies."
amazingsky.net/2025/09/17/n...
@twanight.bsky.social
Nightscapes of Southern Saskatchewan
Southern Saskatchewan is a fine place to capture nightscapes of the Milky Way over the grand prairie landscape. In late August 2025 I took a short road trip around southwest Saskatchewan, taking ad…
amazingsky.net
September 17, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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This records a large number of Starlink satellites streaking from west to east (right to left) across the Milky Way on a summer night low in the south, from the Dark Sky Preserve of the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Saskatchewan.

Details in Alt Text. @twanight.bsky.social
All the satellite trails are blue, so are likely from a current (at the time) generation of Starlinks which had been treated to reduce reflectivity but turned out to reflect mosly blue light. Many of the streaks are parallel and so are from a similar launch set. A vertical streak left of centre is a polar-orbiting satellite. The tapered vertical streak right of centre is the only natural streak here — a meteor. This is over just 6 minutes of exposure time when the sky was dark but the satelltes were still being illumninated in their orbits. This is from a latitude of 49.5° N, the worst latitude for Starlink visibility. Taken on August 21, 2025 at about 10:20 pm CST. Technical: This is a stack of 6 x 1-minute tracked exposures, stacked to add the images together, not average them as would normally be done to subtract out the satellites. The ground is from a single 2-minute untracked exposure. Each was wirh the Canon RF28-70mm lens at f/2 and 35mm on the astro-modified Canon R at ISO 1600, tracking the sky on the MSM Nomad tracker for the sky shots. The tracker motor was off for the ground shot. All from the same tripod position.
September 17, 2025 at 8:40 PM
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Scenes from Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan, August 21, 2025, framing the Milky Way core in Sagittarius over the pines. One image used a narrowband filter to bring out the red nebulas, and a version of that image has labels. It's a busy area! Tech details are in the Alt Text.
Technical: This is a blend of: - a single 2-minute exposure, untracked, for the ground, blended with ... - a stack of 5 x 1 minute exposures, tracked, for the sky, plus ... - an additional tracked 2-minute exposure layered in, taken at the end of the set through an Astronomik "narrowband" H-Alpha clip-in filter, to add the red nebulas. - all with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at f/2 and set to 35mm, on the astro-modified Canon EOS R at ISO 1600 (3200 for the Ha shot), and on the MSM Nomad tracker. Masking and blending all the images, with the trees in the foreground was a challenge! The camera was not moved — all images were from the same tripod position. Version with Labels — Technical: This is a blend of: - a single 2-minute exposure, untracked, for the ground, blended with ... - a stack of 5 x 1 minute exposures, tracked, for the sky, plus ... - an additional tracked 2-minute exposure layered in, taken at the end of the set through an Astronomik "narrowband" H-Alpha clip-in filter, to add the red nebulas. - all with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at f/2 and set to 35mm, on the astro-modified Canon EOS R at ISO 1600 (3200 for the Ha shot), and on the MSM Nomad tracker. Masking and blending all the images, with the trees in the foreground was a challenge! The camera was not moved — all images were from the same tripod position. Technical: This is a blend of: - a stack of 4 x 1 minute exposures, tracked, for the sky with ... - a stack of 2 x 1-minute exposures, untracked, for the ground, - all with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at f/2 and set to 48mm, on the astro-modified Canon EOS R at ISO 1600, and on the MSM Nomad tracker. No filters were employed here. Masking and blending all the images, with the trees in the foreground was a challenge! The camera was not moved — all images were from the same tripod position.
September 16, 2025 at 3:36 PM
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My latest blog recaps the recent Saskatchewan Summer Star Party I attended last month, along with 300+ friends! It was a superb few days and nights of stargazing.
amazingsky.net/2025/09/06/s...
Scenes from a Star Party
Amateur astronomers like nothing more than time spent under a dark night sky with a field of friends. Star parties are a popular part of the hobby of amateur astronomy. They’re chances for st…
amazingsky.net
September 7, 2025 at 12:34 AM
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A 90° wide panorama of the rich nebulas and dark dust lanes along the northernmost section of the Milky Way from Perseus to Cygnus, a region now above us on late summer and early autumn evenings. Taken August 21 from Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan.
Tech details are in the Alt Text.
Technical: This is a panorama of 5 segments, each a stack of 8 x 2-minute exposures, with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 50mm, and at f/2, on the astro-modified Canon EOS R camera at ISO 1600. All on the MSM Nomad star tracker. And all taken with an Astronomik UHC clip-in filter installed in the camera to isolate the red and green light of emission nebulas. The filter certainly brought out the nebulas and suppressed any skyglow, but did tend to make the stars cyan coloured, a tint I have mostly corrected. Using the filter for all shots simplifies the panorama assembly, as there is no need to align separate panoramas taken with and without filters, but does compromise star colours. All stacking, stitching and blending in Photoshop. Actions and filters from Photokemi Actions and Nik Color EFX helped bring out the fainter nebulas.
September 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
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With one year to go before the next total eclipse of the Sun, I'm pleased to announce the publication of a new and hugely revised edition of my ebook on how to photograph solar eclipses.
For all the details on content and links to purchase, see my website at www.amazingsky.com/EclipseBook
August 14, 2025 at 11:18 PM
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My latest blog previews the coming trio of total eclipses, a series that begins a year from now, for an annual set of solar eclipses to chase around the world. I also highlight my new ebook about how to photograph them. Thanks for looking!

amazingsky.net/2025/08/14/t...
The Coming Trio of Total Eclipses
I provide a preview of the coming trio of total eclipses of the Sun, with information on my new ebook on how to photograph them.
amazingsky.net
August 14, 2025 at 10:06 PM
amazingskyguy.bsky.social
This was the remarkable sight of the very close conjunction of Venus (brightest) below Jupiter in the dawn sky of August 12, 2025. The two planets were at their closest this morning, at about 0.9º apart, in the constellation of Gemini, framed in its entirety here at centre. Details in Alt Text.
The two planets were at their closest this morning, at about 0.9º apart, in the constellation of Gemini, framed in its entirety here. The twin stars of Castor (top) and Pollux are at left. The stars and planets are also reflected in the waters of Crawling Lake (actually a reservoir) in southern Alberta. Illumination is from the waning gibbous Moon in the southwest off frame. Technical: This is a 4-second exposure with the Nikkor 24-120mm lens at f/4 and 39mm on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 1600. Taken from the dam causeway. The two planets were at their closest this morning, at about 0.9º apart, in the constellation of Gemini, framed in its entirety here at centre. The twin stars of Castor (top) and Pollux are at left of centre. At far right are the stars of Orion rising, including Betelgeuse and the Belt Stars. The stars and planets are also reflected in the waters of Crawling Lake (actually a reservoir) in southern Alberta. Illumination is from the waning gibbous Moon in the southwest off frame. Technical: This is a panorama of 3 segments, each a 6-second exposure with the Nikkor 24-120mm lens at f/4 and 35mm on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 800. Taken from the dam causeway in frame at right. Stitched in Camera Raw. The two planets were at their closest this morning, at about 0.9º apart, in the constellation of Gemini, framed in its entirety here. The twin stars of Castor (top) and Pollux are at left. The stars and planets are also reflected in the waters of Crawling Lake (actually a reservoir) in southern Alberta. Illumination is from the waning gibbous Moon in the southwest off frame. Technical: This is a single 2.5-second exposure with the Nikkor 24-120mm lens at f/4 and 47mm on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 1600. Taken from the dam causeway.
August 12, 2025 at 8:13 PM
amazingskyguy.bsky.social
Here’s a great event coming up at one of my favourite places on Earth, Waterton Lakes National Park. It looks like the Dark Sky Guides have put together a stellar program of events, activities and presenters — for Waterton’s first dark sky festival, Sept. 26-28.
See darkskyguides.ca/discovery-days
August 11, 2025 at 1:59 AM
amazingskyguy.bsky.social
The summer Milky Way from Cygnus at top to Sagittarius at bottom, over a yellow field of canola in southern Alberta, on a warm July night. Lights are from a Hutterite farm and other distant farms and towns. Some green airglow also tints the sky.
Ground illumination is from starlight and the ambient light from the horizon lights. Technical: This is a stack of 2 tracked 1-minute exposures at ISO 1600 for the sky, plus one untracked 4-minute exposure at ISO 400 for the ground, all with the RF15-35mm lens at 17mm and f/2.8 on the MSM Nomad tracker, and the Canon R5. An additional exposure through a Tiffen Double Fog 3 filter blended in adds the star glows.
July 24, 2025 at 11:51 PM
amazingskyguy.bsky.social
This is the occultation of the Pleiades star cluster by the waning crescent Moon before dawn on July 20, 2025, with the Moon in colourful clouds. This was at about 3:27 am MDT with the Moon about to occult the star Alcyone left of the Moon. Details in Alt Text.
Technical: With the Askar SQA85 astrographic refractor at f/4.8 and the Canon R5 at ISO 200 for greatest dynamic range. The sky, clouds, stars and Earthlit dark side of the Moon come from a single 10 second exposure. To preserve details in the bright crescent and render the image as the eye could see it through optics, the bright crescent is a blend of 9 exposures from 5 seconds to as short as 1/50th second, blended with Lights1 luminosity masks created with Lumenzia in Photoshop. The lunar disks were all aligned to each other as even during the short minute or so it took to take all the images, the Moon moved noticeably against the background stars. Blue diffraction spikes added to the stars for artistic effect using AstronomyTools actions, to emphasize the Pleiades stars and make them "sparkle." The scope was on the AP400 mount tracking the sky at the sidereal rate.
July 21, 2025 at 7:09 PM
amazingskyguy.bsky.social
This is the waning crescent Moon occulting the stars of the Pleiades cluster, before dawn on July 20, from home in Alberta. This is a blend of exposures to bring out the stars and Earthshine while preserving detail on the bright crescent. Details in the Alt Text.
The Moon was moving from upper right to lower left here over the morning with respect to the stars, due to its orbital motion around Earth, causing it to pass in front of stars one by one, hiding then revealing them. The timing of the occultation was almost perfect for my location in southern Alberta, with the Moon high in the eastern sky for all the event. The field of view is 5º by 3.3º. Technical: With the Askar SQA85 astrographic refractor at f/4.8 and the Canon R5 at ISO 200 for greatest dynamic range. The sky, stars and Earthlit dark side of the Moon come from a single 30 second exposure. To preserve details in the bright crescent and render the image as the eye could see it through optics, the bright crescent is a blend of 9 exposures from 15 seconds to as short as 1/125th second, blended with Lights1 luminosity masks created with Lumnezia in Photoshop. The lunar disks were all aligned to each other as even during the short minute or so it took to take all the images, the Moon moved noticeably against the background stars. Internal reflections from the scope's Petzval optics and some residual haze in the sky inevitably create some colourful haloes from the bright crescent.
July 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM