Nightscape

Landscape AstroPhotography from the beautiful Black Hills, South Dakota and around.

The Father, the Mother.
The view of Mt Rushmore from the South showing the juxtaposition of the founding father (George Washington) and the mother in the night sky (Cassiopeia; the 'W' shaped constellation).
Bear Butte Northern Lights.
Invincible.
One of those moments when I took the shot and my heart skipped a beat when i saw the back of the camera. Neowise comet above Crazy Horse Memorial, world's largest mountain carving.
Gone with the Wind.
A hoodoo in the Badlands. Surface of the Badlands have been wearing away mostly by wind at a brisk rate of about 1 inch per year. I just wonder how different it would look 100 years from now!
The Sleeping Bear.
Bear Butte, locally called Mato Paha (bear mountain) is a reference to the fact that its profile resembles a sleeping bear. The name makes even more sense when you see the night sky where the big dipper, a part of the the Great Bear (Ursa major) constellation makes a beautiful juxtaposition.
The Humbling River.
There is something about our dark night sky, those unfathomable stars and that milk-like river in the sky that never ceases to amaze me. A sense of wonder and awe resurfaces; a pretty humbling experience. A 180 panorama (North-East-South) captured from the rugged and scenic Spearfish Canyon.
Heart Shaped Box.
Sometime having a human element in a nightscape can be super fun and can add weight to the photo. Loved how this turned out with my lighting setup and specially with the shape of the shadow.
Stockade Skies.
Dark night Cold air, Bright stars Warm feeling. Look up and get lost.
Pneuma.
Majestic display of light show in the form of Balloon glow at the Stratobowl. Would have loved to catch stars in they sky but the full moon was too powerful as it washed out most of the stars.
Troika.
Closer look of the photogenic core region with endless sea of stars. Foreground peaks illuminated with an artificial light source.
Rainbow Rising.
Panoramic view of the rising Milky Way and the Moonlit Badlands.
Love of My Life.
Nocturne.
A Starry Night at Spearfish Falls.
The Sentinel.
The Watcher Of The Fields - A lone oak tree stands resilient keeping a close eye on this Wisconsin corn field under sky full of stars. Almost harvest time for these ripening corns. Had to fight a bit with the background light pollution which also illuminated the incoming clouds.
Peaceful Sylvan.
A cropped view of a panorama stitch I did earlier this summer at Sylvan Lake, SD. Full panorama -> https://bit.ly/2G47O1V
Light in the Black.
Milky Way over the iconic Delicate Arch, Utah.
Coming Back to Life.
A rustic old stump seems to come alive under a sky full of stars. Light pollution coming from Keystone, Hill City and Custer adds colorful glow on the horizon.
Show me the Way.
A magical night at the Needles Eye; a perfect haven for repose.
Soulful Attunement.
The vast South Dakota prairie and the torrent of stars above does knock on one’s spiritual corner quite well.
Fourth of July Night Sky.
Milky Way over Devils Tower, Wyoming on the night of 4th of July, 2018.
The crown jewel of our Milky Way - Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.
The dark skies of South Dakota reveals such a colorful night sky, just makes you fall in love with it all over again. The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex has one of the most vibrant and colorful nebulas in space.
Star Trails over Bear Butte.
Dakota Roof.
Panoramic Milky Way from Black Elk Peak.
"Excuse me, while I kiss the Sky."
Black Elk Peak and the lookout tower under the spell of mesmerizing night sky.
The Bear and the Mighty Hunter.
The Rising Orion (aka the Hunter) and the majestic Devils Tower (Bear Lodge).
Blossoming Stars in a Cold Chilly Night.
Glittering Milky Way over Sylvan Lake.
Winter Jewels.
The Great Orion Nebula and surrounding regions in the Heart of the Orion Constellation.
Once upon a time.
An abandoned home in ghost town on Ardmore, South Dakota.
Starry Rushmore.
Stars of our planet shine brightly with millions of stars in the sky.
Owanka Lights.
An Abandoned Grain Elevator in a township of Owanka, South Dakota.
Abandoned Ardmore.
A deserted barn in the ghost town of Ardmore makes a beautiful foreground for a starry night image. If only these broken walls could talk...
Celestial celebration.
As humans tucked in their warm cozy bed, the night sky was having a ball of its own. Its around midnight, sky is filled with stars that appear so bright. A crescent moon has just risen in the badlands casting warm soft light on the tiny badlands' peaks. Milky Way dust lane is sweeping across the sky and a shooting star decides to drop by in one of the frame. One of my personal favorite nightscape.
Colorful Badlands under the Milky Way.
A friend of mine once said to me that South Dakota doesn’t have a nightlife. Well…I beg to differ. It gets insanely beautiful around here.
Solar Corona During Totality.
A view of Totality as seen from Casper, Wyoming on Aug 21, 2017.

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