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For the last several years, I have been taking advantage of Iowa's dark skies to learn how to take images of the night sky. My philosophy is to push basic equipment as far as possible. All of the images below were taken with a Canon Rebel T5i EOS 700D camera mounted on a tripod in or around the city of Grinnell, Iowa. For some images that require long exposure times, I use a mechanical mount to compensate for the apparent motion of the stars. For composite images, I use Starry Sky Stacker or Starry Landscape Stacker to combine multiple images into one.
Note: all images subject to copyright.
Milky Way
Milky Way
Composite of 6 images. 15 second exposures, 3200 ISO, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Milky Way Close Up
Milky Way Close Up
5 second exposure, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 50 mm lens.
Gale Observatory
Gale Observatory
636 second exposure, ISO 200, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Gale Observatory Close Up
Gale Observatory Close Up
339 second exposure, ISO 100, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
ISS and the Big Dipper
ISS and the Big Dipper
15 second exposure, ISO 1600, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
Composite of 122 images, 20 second exposures, ISO 3200, f/2.8, 50 mm lens.
Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
Composite of 4 images. 19 second exposures, ISO 3200, f/2.8, 50 mm lens.
Grinnell College Athletic Fields
Grinnell College Athletic Fields
20 second exposure, ISO 1600, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Comet Neowise
Comet Neowise
Composite of 3 images. 5 second exposures, ISO 3200, f/2.8, 50 mm lens.
Comet Neowise & the Big Dipper
Comet Neowise & the Big Dipper
15 second exposure, ISO 3200, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Milky Way, Power Out
Milky Way, Power Out
A derecho with 100 mph winds struck Grinnell on August 10, 2020, and knocked out power in the region. The image above was taken in the immediate aftermath with no light pollution. 15 second exposure, ISO 12800, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Milky Way, Power Partly Restored
Milky Way, Power Partly Restored
This image was made in the exact same location several days later when power in town had been partially restored. The Milky Way is now barely visible in the sky due to light pollution. 15 second exposure, ISO 12800, f/3.5, 18 mm lens.
Gale Observatory Under the Northern Lights
Gale Observatory Under the Northern Lights
May 10, 2024. Taken with iPhone 14.
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