After a few months of 20+ hours of daylight, astronomical twilight returns to Southcentral Alaska in late August. Photos of a dark night sky are again feasible. Being in Alaska, my astrophotography is usually done with the goal of capturing the Aurora Borealis (northern lights).
I was camping at the Upper Skilak Lake campground in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on this particular night. This 15-mile lake sits in the middle of the nearly two million acres of the refuge. It is about a three hours drive from where I live. Instead of travelling hundreds of miles and staying out all night to photograph, I could open my RV door, check to see that the skies were clear, and then walk a short distance to the lakeshore.
When this 3:15 a.m. shot was taken, it was a couple of days from the fall equinox. Even when sunspots are low, aurora activity tends to be active during the spring and fall equinoxes due to the earth's magnetic field opening up at these times. I was hopeful some colourful northern lights would appear and add to this lake composition. Unfortunately, on this night, the aurora did not show up.
But I was not disappointed with the resulting photo. With no winds, the lake was perfectly calm. The glacial lake waters' turquoise complemented the starry sky's dark blues. Wispy clouds added some interest. Tranquillity became the subject.
On the horizon, over 80 air miles to the west, was Mount Redoubt, an active stratovolcano in the Aleutian Range. It last erupted in 2009. This 10,197 ft. mountain has a prominence of 9,150 feet, so even though the lake, land beyond the western shore, and the Cook Inlet stand between me and the mountain, it still manages to be visible, if only in a minimal way.
Satisfied with my photographic outing, I walked back to my RV and settled into my warm bed in a matter of minutes!
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor