Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Chasing Comet Lovejoy over Walker Lake



Stargazing in the the not so dark skies



After several failed attempts chasing around the night sky looking for Comet Lovejoy with my Nikon 500mm lens, I was finally able to catch the tiny green fuzzy image before it became too faint to recognize.   The New Year's comet or Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is named for the Australian comet-hunter Terry Lovejoy who first spotted it on August 17, 2014.  Passing closest to Earth on January 7, 2015, the comet was reported to be at its brightest on this evening and easily visible before moonrise.

Several years ago, the dark night skies over Walker Lake were outstanding as they glittered with stars. At this time, I would walk outside to watch the Milkey Way overhead which seemed so close that I could almost reach up and touch the stars.  Now days, people seem to need more artificial light and the wondrous stars no longer  stand out against the dark sky.  Hoping for darker skies, I went over to the camping area at Sportsman's Beach to try and catch a photo of the comet.  Unfortunately as far as I was from artificial lights, the sky that had once brought stargazers to Walker Lake was not that dark anymore. 

Carefully looking through my lens, I was finally able to catch a faint glimpse of Comet Lovejoy in the upper right quadrant of the sky, high above the Constellation Orion. 
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Although I did not get the hoped for clear photo of Comet Lovejoy, the evening's photography wasn't a total wash.  Soon the sky over the Gillis Mountain Range began to lighten as the remainder of January's full moon started to ascend in the east sky. 

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Changing over to my Nikon 35-70mm lens, I caught the mountains reflecting in the calm water with the stars shining in the distance.
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Just before the moon peeked over the mountain, I focused in on Jupiter shining brightly and glowing in the lake. 

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 Maybe if there is another clear, calm night in January, I might try my luck on an old mining trail road and see if the skies are any darker from that location. 






What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.


 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 




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