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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 3d

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.

$This is the complex array of nebulas collectively known as the Question Mark Nebula, for obvious reasons perhaps! However, in processing the image to bring out the most nebulosity, the question mark form has become a bit lost! The complex is made of: - the top arc, which is officailly NGC 7822 or Sharpless 2-171, - the middle roundish nebula catalogued as Cederblad 214, - and the isolated "dot" of the question mark below, which is Sharpless 2-170, but is also known as the Little Rosette Nebula. The field at bottom is laced with lots of faint bits of red hydrogen-alpha nebulosity. And some small round and blue reflection nebulas lie below the main emission nebulas, notably van den Bergh 2 (vdB2) at left. The nebulas lie on the Cassiopeia-Cepheus border with the top nebulas in Cassiopeia and the Little Rosette across the border in Cepheus. Several star clusters are in the field: - King 11 is off the top right edge of NGC 7822, looking yellowed by dust absorption, - Below and amid the NGC 7822 nebulosity is Berkeley 59 above the bright blue star - King 1 is far to the left of Sh2-170 at lower left The field of view is 7.8º by 5.2º. Technical: This is a blend of exposures: a set through a specialized narrowband flilter, and exposures taken unfiltered — - 10 x 10 minutes at ISO 3200 through an IDAS NBZ filter which isolates just the emission lines from green oxygen and red hydrogen in nebulas, - 10 x 5 minutes at ISO 800 without a filter for a broadband "white light" view. - All through the Askar SQA55 astrographic refractor at f/4.9 and with the astro-modified Canon EOS R camera. On the Star Adventurer GTi mount autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.$

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 3d

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 6d

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 7d

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 21d

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

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 21d

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · 22d

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Sep 7

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

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Sep 6

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Aug 14

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

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Aug 14

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

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Aug 12

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Aug 11

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

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 24

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.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 21

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.

$Technical: With the Askar SQA85 astrographic refractor at f/4.8 and the Canon R5 at ISO 200 for greatest dynamic range. The sky, clouds, stars and Earthlit dark side of the Moon come from a single 10 second exposure. To preserve details in the bright crescent and render the image as the eye could see it through optics, the bright crescent is a blend of 9 exposures from 5 seconds to as short as 1/50th second, blended with Lights1 luminosity masks created with Lumenzia in Photoshop. The lunar disks were all aligned to each other as even during the short minute or so it took to take all the images, the Moon moved noticeably against the background stars. Blue diffraction spikes added to the stars for artistic effect using AstronomyTools actions, to emphasize the Pleiades stars and make them "sparkle." The scope was on the AP400 mount tracking the sky at the sidereal rate.$

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 20

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.

$The Moon was moving from upper right to lower left here over the morning with respect to the stars, due to its orbital motion around Earth, causing it to pass in front of stars one by one, hiding then revealing them. The timing of the occultation was almost perfect for my location in southern Alberta, with the Moon high in the eastern sky for all the event. The field of view is 5º by 3.3º. Technical: With the Askar SQA85 astrographic refractor at f/4.8 and the Canon R5 at ISO 200 for greatest dynamic range. The sky, stars and Earthlit dark side of the Moon come from a single 30 second exposure. To preserve details in the bright crescent and render the image as the eye could see it through optics, the bright crescent is a blend of 9 exposures from 15 seconds to as short as 1/125th second, blended with Lights1 luminosity masks created with Lumnezia in Photoshop. The lunar disks were all aligned to each other as even during the short minute or so it took to take all the images, the Moon moved noticeably against the background stars. Internal reflections from the scope's Petzval optics and some residual haze in the sky inevitably create some colourful haloes from the bright crescent.$

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 18

Check this event off the life-list of astronomical sights!
This is me observing the July 18, 2025 transit of the shadow of Saturn's largest Moon Titan across the cloudtops of Saturn. The inset is a simulation from Sky Safari of the eyepiece view at the time I was observing. Details in the Alt Text.

$This is me observing the July 18, 2025 transit of the shadow of Saturn's largest Moon Titan across the cloudtops of Saturn. The inset is not a photo I took of the planet but a simulation from Sky Safari of the eyepiece view at the time I was observing, showing the shadow as a tiny black dot on the planet. This night Titan itself did not transit the planet. Through the eyepiece, even at the 220 power I was using, Saturn looked much smaller than the simulation, and the shadow was fleeting, but obvious as a black dot when the atmospheric "seeing" conditions - the steadiness of the air - settled and the image sharpened. I was using my venerable 30-year-old Astro-Physics 130mm f/6 refractor and a TeleVue Delos 3.5mm eyepiece. Transits of Titan or its shadow are rare, occuring only in a season lasting a few months around the time the rings and moon orbits are edge-on to us, which occurs only twice a Saturnian year, so about every 15 Earth years. Only then do the moons and their shadows cross the planet's disk, with Titan's being by far the largest disk and shadow. Even during a transit season transits of Titan or its shadow can occur only every 16 days, the orbital period of Titan. And some of those will not be visible during night time hours from a particular location. Or it will be cloudy! As it was this transit on July 18, 2025 was perfectly timed for the night hours of my location in Alberta. This was about 2:30 am MDT with a waning quarter Moon lighting the scene and overexposed here. This was the first time I had ever seen a shadow transit of Titan, as they are rare enough you can go decades without ever seeing one if the circumstances don't come together. Technical: This is a focus blend of two exposures, one focused on me and one on the stars, each 6 seconds and f/1.8 with the Nikkor 20mm S lens on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 800.$

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 16

Here's a late season display of noctilucent clouds, in the late evening twilight to the northwest on July 15, 2025. It's been a better year for NLCs than in 2023 and 2024, but mid-July is typically when the season winds down from my latitude of 51º N. Details in the Alt Text.

This is a framing of a late-season display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) in the northwest, in the late evening twilight sky over a yellow canola field. Taken July 15, 2025 from near home in southern Alberta, toward the end of NLC season at my latitude of 51º North.

The waning Moon had not risen yet, so illumination is from the twilight sky, with the ground brightened considerably with a long exposure in camera and in processing to bring out the colours, to contrast with the blue sky, red twilight on the horizon, and the silvery NLCs.

Technical:
A single image of 60 seconds, so quite long thus the trailed stars, with the Nikkor S-Line 24-120mm lens at 44mm and f/4 on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 400.

This is a panorama of a late-season display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) in the northwest, in the late evening twilight sky over a yellow canola field. Taken July 15, 2025 from near home in southern Alberta, toward the end of NLC season at my latitude of 51º North.

The waning Moon had not risen yet, so illumination is from the twilight sky, with the ground brightened considerably with a long exposure in camera and in processing to bring out the colours, to contrast with the blue sky, red twilight on the horizon, and the silvery NLCs.

Lights in the distance are from a Hutterite colony (left) and a gas plant (far left).

Technical:
A panorama of 4 segments, each 60 seconds, so quite long thus the trailed stars, with the Nikkor S-Line 24-120mm lens at 70mm and f/4 on the Nikon Z8 at ISO 400. Stitched in ACR. Power lines removed with Wires & Cables distraction removal. Hot pixels in the ground removed with a Dust & Scratches layer in Darken blend mode.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 11

The Full Moon rising in the southeast over a field of canola at its peak of colour, July 10, 2025. From southern Alberta. Details in the Alt Text.

The Full Moon of July 10, 2025 rising over a yellow canola field near home on a very clear evening in southern Alberta. In early July the canola blossoms are at their peak of colour, and contrast nicely with a blue twilight sky and yellow Moon rising. An irrigation boom is at work in the distance. Shot on Township Road 232 north of home. The July Full Moon is sometimes publicized as the Buck Moon.

Technical:
This is a panorama of 5 segments, stitched with Camera Raw, each 5 seconds with the RF70-200mm lens at 90mm and f/8 on the Canon R5 at ISO200. A shorter exposure of 1/5 second for just the Moon was blended in, to better show what the eye saw, with both the foreground and Moon in detail. A single exposure with even today's fine cameras cannot record the dynamic range the eye can see in scenes like this.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 11

Two panoramas of the fine showing of noctilucent clouds along the northwestern horizon in the late evening twilight on July 10, 2025, from southern Alberta. Light from the rising Full Moon opposite the camera direction to the southeast light the scene.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 4

This is a massive but local thunderstorm cell passing to the south of me in southern Alberta on July 3, 2025. It shows a classic circulation pattern of clouds. The rain band at right on the trailing edge of the storm hit moments after I took this, dropping lots of hail.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jul 1

This frames Saturn and Neptune when they were less than 1 degree apart (59 arc minutes) on the morning of June 30, 2025, here framed in a telescope. This was in the dawn sky with the sky blue with oncoming twilight. More details are in the Alt Text.

$The two planets were about this close together for several mornings in late June and early July 2025 as they move so slowly. Both were in southern Pisces. Some of the moons of the planets are recorded, though the planets themselves are overexposed. Triton is a tiny dot just below Neptune, while Titan is the brightest dot left of Saturn. Between Titan and Saturn is Dione. To the right of Saturn is Tethys (closest) and Rhea (brighter and farther away). Saturn's ring plane was nearly edge-on at this time so the moons appear in a line on either side of Saturn. There is a version of this that is not annotated and has just the planets in the blue sky. Technical: This is a stack of 8 x 1-minute exposures through the Askar APO120 refractor at f/7 with its 1x Flattener for 840mm focal length, and the Canon R5 at ISO 800. The telescope's field of view is 2.5º by 1.6º. Taken at about 3:30 am MDT on June 30, 2025.$

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jun 30

A brilliant display of noctilucent clouds last night, June 29/30, extensive and structured across the northern sky. The best I have seen in 3 years. This was from southern Alberta. Details in the Alt Text.

A panorama of a brilliant display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) in the summer sky, June 29-30, 2025, taken from home in southern Alberta. These were unusually bright and obvious in the darkening twilight, across the northern sky. The glowing NLCs shine with an electric blue light and, as here, can exhibit repeating wave structures. They contrast with the dark tropospheric clouds seen in silhouette against the twilight sky. NLCs appear to shine with their own light, though they are in fact reflecting sunlight coming over the pole.

Taken early in the evening with the NLCs at their most extensive and highest, and below the retreating weather clouds.

This NLC display was about a Level 4 in brightness (on the scale of 1 to 5, from dim to very bright) and showed the Type IIIb billowed or wavy structure.

Two of my telescopes are in the yard in anticipation of a night of deep-sky shooting, partly thwarted by the weather clouds not the NLCs.

Technical:
With the Canon RF24-105 lens at f/4 and at 39mm, on the Canon Ra at ISO 200. A pano of 4 segments, each 2-second exposures, stitched using Adobe Camera Raw.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jun 19

This is a panorama across 90º of the northeastern horizon framing a display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs). This was on the morning of June 19, 2025, taken from home in southern Alberta, latitude 51º N and 112º W longitude, and at about 3:20 am MDT. It was my first NLC sighting of the 2025 season.

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Alan Dyer @amazingskyguy.bsky.social · Jun 11

This is the Full Moon of June 10, 2025, a Moon that was especially low as the Moon was at its most southerly declination of ~5º below the ecliptic at this time, at a "major lunar standstill" or lunistice, a position it reaches only once every 18.5 years.

However, the Moon was still rising when I took this and was not at its highest due south yet.

The Moon is deeply yellow due to forest fire smoke in the air from fires in northern Alberta and B.C. This was also the Full Moon known popularly as the Strawberry Moon.

This was from home in southern Alberta at 51º latitude.

Technical:
This is a blend of two exposures: 8s for the sky and 1 second for the Moon to preserve detail in its disk, all with the RF70-200mm lens at 135mm and f/4 on the Canon R5 at ISO 800.

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