Milky Way at Moraine Lake
A photo of the Milky Way Galaxy during a hazy summer night at the iconic Moraine Lake in Banff National Park.
More Posts in: Astrophotography
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7 Comments
There is an interesting shadow running off to the upper right from the right-most pointy peak. Any idea what is causing it? I've never been up to Banff, so I have no idea what might be due south of this spot and bright enough to cause a shadow like that.
Nice MW capture, in any case.
It could very well be anything as this is a blend of different photos. The core is never this high at this latitude, the core appears to be from mid season and this alignment doesn't happen until late season. I stood in this spot last August and took this same photo and this is the actual appearance of the core in this spot (http://www.scottaspinall.com/moraine-at-night/). Nothing against what OP has done, just trying to put your mind at ease. This is a dark spot and well worth visiting one day. No need to worry about backlit mountains :)
Thanks. I wondered about that, but I've never been up there so I have no idea what the sky should look like. Well, not no idea, just a very rough one. I even had a maps program open trying to puzzle it out from the orientation of the lake. But there is nothing much up there in any direction, as you say, so I didn't get very un-puzzled.
Your linked image is amazing.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. I hope you get there one day. It is quite a sight. The only light in the area comes directly from the lodge and cabins to the right of this picture. It makes colour balancing the foreground a bit challenging but certainly doable!
Stunning shot! I'll be in Banff in july but sadly it won't be a new moon :(
Nice!
I am curious. How do you folks deal with the wildlife that comes out at night?
I am not in US/Canada but Zambia. I do a fair amount of astroscape type stuff in the wilds. I scout around my location before shooting and keep a good ear out while shooting. A few of my shots were taken with lions calling nearby and a leopard rasping away. Most of my locations are quite open so good visibility. A big flashlight is your friend. I would rather lose my night vision than be be joined by a big cat.... But to be honest for me at least a bit of 'edginess', solitude and atmosphere is a big part of why I take photographs out there in the wilderness. Taking this pano I could hear a leopard calling the whole time. Probably about 500m away. I generally try and keep my vehicle fairly close too. I do not carry a firearm and don't really feel the need to. Orange glow is a distant bush fire.