A Winter's Night Sky
Often in winter I get the urge to photograph the night sky. Same with summer time, but winter offers the unique benefit of crisp frigid night air, low in moisture and therefore low in atmospheric distortion. Combine those nights with a new moon and clear skies, and you can often see the milky way with the naked eye. This is especially true where I grew up in Thurman, NY - a rural town home to very few people. While the orange glow of neighboring towns can be seen low on the horizon, much of the sky is pleasantly dark in the absence of a moon. Stars speckle the inky black sky like confectioners sugar on a dark marble countertop.
The western sky around 1:00 a.m. in late January.
While lacking a moon, this first new moon evening in January was uncharacteristically warm. Temps flirted with freezing and some moisture clung to the air, producing low misty clouds. These clouds in turn reflected the light of neighboring towns and obscured portions of the lower sky while increased moisture snuffed out the faintest stars, shrouding the Milky Way and keeping it from view.
Orion slides behind a birch tree on its way to setting into the early morning sky.
Ah, well, no matter. Definitely worth the drive and worth taking the time to get some images. There will be more moonless nights to come, and I have them all blocked out of my schedule. Provided the cloud cover cooperates, I will have more images to share throughout the year.
Western early morning sky over Thurman.
One more look at Orion before we go.
Thank you for reading and see you next time!