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Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

13820552 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

12342589 - So bulgogi - marinated beef with glass noodles (Korea)

A moonlit scene of yellow balsamroot wildflowers blowing in the wind on a moonlit night in the Blakiston Valley in Waterton Lakes National Park,Alberta,May 29,2023. Blakiston Creek winds below toward the Waterton River. The waxing gibbous Moon just off frame at top provides the illumination. Moonlight is the same colour temperature as sunlight,so in a long exposure like this,a scene looks like daylight

13999115 - A moonlit scene of yellow balsamroot wildflowers blowing in the wind on a moonlit night in the Blakiston Valley in Waterton Lakes National Park,Alberta,May 29,2023. Blakiston Creek winds below toward the Waterton River. The waxing gibbous Moon just off frame at top provides the illumination. Moonlight is the same colour temperature as sunlight,so in a long exposure like this,a scene looks like daylight

The Full Moon at the equinox, on March 20, 2019, reaching full phase only fours hours after the moment of the vernal equinox, and here captured rising very shortly before the moment of the Full Moon. I shot this while the Moon was still rising and in a deep blue sky, and tinted yellow from atmospheric absorption. Even so, this is a blend of short (for the Moon) and long (for the sky) exposures to capture the dynamic range.

13898578 - The Full Moon at the equinox, on March 20, 2019, reaching full phase only fours hours after the moment of the vernal equinox, and here captured rising very shortly before the moment of the Full Moon. I shot this while the Moon was still rising and in a deep blue sky, and tinted yellow from atmospheric absorption. Even so, this is a blend of short (for the Moon) and long (for the sky) exposures to capture the dynamic range.

The open star cluster NGC 188, in Cepheus, one of the oldest such objects known, with an estimated age of 9 billion years. NGC 188 has lasted so long as it is well above the plane of the Galaxy near the North Celestial Pole, and so free of the disruptive tidal effects of the Milky Way.

13898480 - The open star cluster NGC 188, in Cepheus, one of the oldest such objects known, with an estimated age of 9 billion years. NGC 188 has lasted so long as it is well above the plane of the Galaxy near the North Celestial Pole, and so free of the disruptive tidal effects of the Milky Way.

$A selfie with me observing the North America Nebula in the fading moonlight (thus the blue sky) on August 8, 2019 from home, using the Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm refractor on the Mach One mount. I was comparing views with various nebula filters this night. So I was actually observing! In this case using the 31mm Nagler eyepiece.$

13898472 - A selfie with me observing the North America Nebula in the fading moonlight (thus the blue sky) on August 8, 2019 from home, using the Astro-Physics Traveler 105mm refractor on the Mach One mount. I was comparing views with various nebula filters this night. So I was actually observing! In this case using the 31mm Nagler eyepiece.

A wounded giraffe, with a poacher's snare on leg, is sedated so it can be treated by Kenya Wildlife Services mobile veterinary unit. Voi, Lualenyi Game Reserve, Kenya.

13836611 - A wounded giraffe, with a poacher's snare on leg, is sedated so it can be treated by Kenya Wildlife Services mobile veterinary unit. Voi, Lualenyi Game Reserve, Kenya.

The rising of the Full Moon on Easter eve, Saturday, March 31, 2018, on a very cold night with lots of snow still on the ground in Alberta. So this is more a winter Moon than a spring one. This is the “paschal” Moon – the one that defines the date of Easter, being the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox. The first Sunday after that Full Moon, in this case the next day, is Easter Sunday.

13899296 - The rising of the Full Moon on Easter eve, Saturday, March 31, 2018, on a very cold night with lots of snow still on the ground in Alberta. So this is more a winter Moon than a spring one. This is the “paschal” Moon – the one that defines the date of Easter, being the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox. The first Sunday after that Full Moon, in this case the next day, is Easter Sunday.

The constellation of Andromeda, with Cassiopeia at upper left, and Pegasus at right, rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. The faint (in the moonlit sky) fuzzy patch of the Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, is visible at centre.

13899237 - The constellation of Andromeda, with Cassiopeia at upper left, and Pegasus at right, rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. The faint (in the moonlit sky) fuzzy patch of the Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31, is visible at centre.

Mountain views in front of The Observatory Of Pic Du Midi De Bigorre, Hautes Pyrenees, Midi Pyrenees, France. The Col du Tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees second only to the Col de Portet. So in contrast to frequent claims.

13845764 - Mountain views in front of The Observatory Of Pic Du Midi De Bigorre, Hautes Pyrenees, Midi Pyrenees, France. The Col du Tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees second only to the Col de Portet. So in contrast to frequent claims.

Orion and the stars of the winter sky trailing as they set behind and through Turret Arch, in Arches National Park, Utah. I shot this April 6, 2015 after twilight but before the waning Moon rose, so the sky was dark. Illumination is from stars and the sky – no artificial light provided, and the Moon was not up.

13900394 - Orion and the stars of the winter sky trailing as they set behind and through Turret Arch, in Arches National Park, Utah. I shot this April 6, 2015 after twilight but before the waning Moon rose, so the sky was dark. Illumination is from stars and the sky – no artificial light provided, and the Moon was not up.

The Big Dipper and Ursa Major over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light.

13899539 - The Big Dipper and Ursa Major over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light.

13820685 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

13820663 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

Old St. Paul’s Church, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand. Wellington is without a doubt the most city-like city we have visited so far, with places to visit such as the bee-hive (parliament buildings), harbour area, Te Papa (exhibition center and museum), Cable car, Old St Paul’s Church, and the building that has now replaced it; St Paul’s Cathedral. Te Papa was hosting an exhibition on the photographer Brian Brake, which was absolutely incredible. Possibly the best exhibition I have been to. A life’s worth of stunning, clever and original photos. Definitely worth checking out some of his

13848539 - Old St. Paul’s Church, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand. Wellington is without a doubt the most city-like city we have visited so far, with places to visit such as the bee-hive (parliament buildings), harbour area, Te Papa (exhibition center and museum), Cable car, Old St Paul’s Church, and the building that has now replaced it; St Paul’s Cathedral. Te Papa was hosting an exhibition on the photographer Brian Brake, which was absolutely incredible. Possibly the best exhibition I have been to. A life’s worth of stunning, clever and original photos. Definitely worth checking out some of his

13820541 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

14024044 - Cyclamen so midi

$One of a short series of images showing the development of an aurora display from a classic arc into a more complex pattern of concentric arcs and with loops and swirls. This was Feb 5, 2019 from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. The outburst lasted only 5 minutes or so and might have been due to the Bz interplanetary field turning south briefly. After this series, the display faded and fractured into faint arcs and a diffuse glow across the sky.$

13899715 - One of a short series of images showing the development of an aurora display from a classic arc into a more complex pattern of concentric arcs and with loops and swirls. This was Feb 5, 2019 from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. The outburst lasted only 5 minutes or so and might have been due to the Bz interplanetary field turning south briefly. After this series, the display faded and fractured into faint arcs and a diffuse glow across the sky.

A vertical panorama of the summer Milky Way over the observing field at the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, held in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada, at a latitude 49° N. The Park is a Dark Sky Preserve. This was August 26, 2022 on a perfect night of stargazing under very clear skies. The Milky Way extends from Sagittarius near the horizon, to Cygnus nearly overhead at this time, so a vertical sweep of 90°. I've left the satellite trails in for this scene.

13899639 - A vertical panorama of the summer Milky Way over the observing field at the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, held in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada, at a latitude 49° N. The Park is a Dark Sky Preserve. This was August 26, 2022 on a perfect night of stargazing under very clear skies. The Milky Way extends from Sagittarius near the horizon, to Cygnus nearly overhead at this time, so a vertical sweep of 90°. I've left the satellite trails in for this scene.

Mars is about to be occulted by the Full Moon on December 7, 2022. This is ingress with the eastward moving (i.e. right to left here) Moon about to cover up Mars on the Moon's western limb. The sky had thin cloud adding the colourful halo, or "corona," around the Moon, so the sky is not black.

13899287 - Mars is about to be occulted by the Full Moon on December 7, 2022. This is ingress with the eastward moving (i.e. right to left here) Moon about to cover up Mars on the Moon's western limb. The sky had thin cloud adding the colourful halo, or "corona," around the Moon, so the sky is not black.

A low rainbow over the Atlantic Ocean just prior to the total eclipse of the Sun, Nov 3, 2013, from at sea on the Star Flyer sailing ship. This was about 20 minutes before second contact so the sunlight was from a narrow slit of a Sun.

13898509 - A low rainbow over the Atlantic Ocean just prior to the total eclipse of the Sun, Nov 3, 2013, from at sea on the Star Flyer sailing ship. This was about 20 minutes before second contact so the sunlight was from a narrow slit of a Sun.

NGC 7000 and Pelican Nebula with TMB 92mm apo and Canon 5D Mk II on a superb night, with stack of 2 x 15 minutes + 2 x 12 minutes at ISO400 and Borg 0.85x flattener/reducer for f/4.6. Standard exposure is 12 minutes but the night was so good I did two at 15 minutes with no problem.

13897734 - NGC 7000 and Pelican Nebula with TMB 92mm apo and Canon 5D Mk II on a superb night, with stack of 2 x 15 minutes + 2 x 12 minutes at ISO400 and Borg 0.85x flattener/reducer for f/4.6. Standard exposure is 12 minutes but the night was so good I did two at 15 minutes with no problem.

13836590 - A wounded lioness is darted so she can be treated by Kenya Wildlife Services mobile veterinary unit. Voi, Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya.

13820630 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

The northern circumpolar sky with the Big Dipper at right rising, and Deneb in Cygnus and Vega in Lyra at left settting, over the moonlit badland hills of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on November 27, 2017. The Dipper points up to Polaris and the Little Dipper. The Moon was a day past first quarter. Polaris and the Little Dipper are at centre, so this is looking north to the circumpolar sky.

13898992 - The northern circumpolar sky with the Big Dipper at right rising, and Deneb in Cygnus and Vega in Lyra at left settting, over the moonlit badland hills of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, on November 27, 2017. The Dipper points up to Polaris and the Little Dipper. The Moon was a day past first quarter. Polaris and the Little Dipper are at centre, so this is looking north to the circumpolar sky.

Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) on sea ice off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to the coast of Hudson Bay in Fall waiting for the ice to freeze, and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly anxious as they wait for winter. While they wait, they engage in frequent wrestling matches to determine a mating hierarchy for the breeding season in March and April, and regularly check on the ice to see if it will carry them out to sea.

13820627 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) on sea ice off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to the coast of Hudson Bay in Fall waiting for the ice to freeze, and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly anxious as they wait for winter. While they wait, they engage in frequent wrestling matches to determine a mating hierarchy for the breeding season in March and April, and regularly check on the ice to see if it will carry them out to sea.

A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:50 pm MDT. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground.

13900439 - A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:50 pm MDT. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground.

The 2016 Perseid meteor shower, in a view looking north to the Big Dipper and with the radiant point in Perseus at upper right, the point where the meteors appear to be streaking from. I shot this on the peak night of the shower, August 11/12 after moonset so the sky was dark and in fact filled with bright airglow, appearing here as bands of green and yellow, mixed with a low-level aurora to the north as well. While it looks like the sky has artificial light pollution, the glows here are natural, from aurora and airglow.

13897964 - The 2016 Perseid meteor shower, in a view looking north to the Big Dipper and with the radiant point in Perseus at upper right, the point where the meteors appear to be streaking from. I shot this on the peak night of the shower, August 11/12 after moonset so the sky was dark and in fact filled with bright airglow, appearing here as bands of green and yellow, mixed with a low-level aurora to the north as well. While it looks like the sky has artificial light pollution, the glows here are natural, from aurora and airglow.

The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above the crescent Venus on July 20,2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night,so not a close conjunction.

13998558 - The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above the crescent Venus on July 20,2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night,so not a close conjunction.

Bright yellow Mars approaching a close opposition in July 2018 shines over the waters of Middle Waterton Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park in southwest Alberta on the Alberta-Montana border. Mars is so bright it produces a glitter path on the water.

13899946 - Bright yellow Mars approaching a close opposition in July 2018 shines over the waters of Middle Waterton Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park in southwest Alberta on the Alberta-Montana border. Mars is so bright it produces a glitter path on the water.

This is the field containing the assortment of open star clusters near the star Delta Cassiopeiae,or Ruchbah,at lower right. The bright cluster to the left of Ruchbah is Messier 103. But the more prominent and richer cluster in the field is NGC 663,aka the Letter S Cluster,at left of centre. Below it is the smaller NGC 659,while above it is NGC 654. The yellowed cluster at upper left is IC 166,while the small cluster above M103 is Trumpler 1. So there are clusters in this field from several catalogues. A small bit of reflection (?) nebulosity unidentified on any print or digital atlas I have s

13999474 - This is the field containing the assortment of open star clusters near the star Delta Cassiopeiae,or Ruchbah,at lower right. The bright cluster to the left of Ruchbah is Messier 103. But the more prominent and richer cluster in the field is NGC 663,aka the Letter S Cluster,at left of centre. Below it is the smaller NGC 659,while above it is NGC 654. The yellowed cluster at upper left is IC 166,while the small cluster above M103 is Trumpler 1. So there are clusters in this field from several catalogues. A small bit of reflection (?) nebulosity unidentified on any print or digital atlas I have s

13897806 - The rising of the Full Moon on Easter eve, Saturday, March 31, 2018, on a very cold night with lots of snow still on the ground in Alberta. So this is more a winter Moon than a spring one. This is the “paschal” Moon – the one that defines the date of Easter, being the first Full Moon after the vernal equinox. The first Sunday after that Full Moon, in this case the next day, is Easter Sunday.

Sunset Mountain views in front of The Observatory Of Pic Du Midi De Bigorre, Hautes Pyrenees, Midi Pyrenees, France. The Col du Tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees second only to the Col de Portet. So in contrast to frequent claims.

13848208 - Sunset Mountain views in front of The Observatory Of Pic Du Midi De Bigorre, Hautes Pyrenees, Midi Pyrenees, France. The Col du Tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees second only to the Col de Portet. So in contrast to frequent claims.

13820474 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

14024053 - Cyclamen so midi

The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) and the stars of Andromeda rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. This is an example of a "deepscape" - a nightcape with a telephoto lens to also record a deep-sky object in the frame above the horizon. However, moonlight prevents the galaxy from showing up as well as it would in a dark sky.

13900215 - The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) and the stars of Andromeda rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. This is an example of a "deepscape" - a nightcape with a telephoto lens to also record a deep-sky object in the frame above the horizon. However, moonlight prevents the galaxy from showing up as well as it would in a dark sky.

71411020 - Bolivia, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni. Cones of salt have been scraped up so that the salt will dry before being harvested.

A 360° "all-sky" panorama of the northern spring sky, taken when the North Galactic Pole was almost due south high in the sky, so we are looking up out of the plane of our galaxy. The Milky Way is visible but only as an arc low across the north, and on this night (April 27, 2022) an arc of a dim green and magenta aurora nicely coincided with the location of the Milky Way. The North Galactic Pole is located just left of the Coma Berenices star cluster below centre.

13899446 - A 360° "all-sky" panorama of the northern spring sky, taken when the North Galactic Pole was almost due south high in the sky, so we are looking up out of the plane of our galaxy. The Milky Way is visible but only as an arc low across the north, and on this night (April 27, 2022) an arc of a dim green and magenta aurora nicely coincided with the location of the Milky Way. The North Galactic Pole is located just left of the Coma Berenices star cluster below centre.

Mercury at the middle of its transit across the Sun on November 11, 2019, here at 8:19 a.m. MST. This was and is as close to the centre of the Sun’s disk as Mercury will come in any transit of the 21st century. So this is a unique view.

13898872 - Mercury at the middle of its transit across the Sun on November 11, 2019, here at 8:19 a.m. MST. This was and is as close to the centre of the Sun’s disk as Mercury will come in any transit of the 21st century. So this is a unique view.

13820582 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 27, 2020 from the Columbia Icefields (Jasper National Park, Alberta) from the Toe of the Glacier parking lot, looking north over Sunwapta Lake, formed by the summer meltwater of Athabasca Glacier. So this is a portrait of ice in the sky and icy water on Earth.

13900300 - Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) on July 27, 2020 from the Columbia Icefields (Jasper National Park, Alberta) from the Toe of the Glacier parking lot, looking north over Sunwapta Lake, formed by the summer meltwater of Athabasca Glacier. So this is a portrait of ice in the sky and icy water on Earth.

Venus above the Pleiades star cluster, M45, on April 4, 2020, in the twilight and moonlight. Light from the gibbous Moon illuminated the sky, so no long exposure would reveal much detail in and around the Pleiades. Venus passes close to the Pleiades only every 8 years. It was closer the night before, but alas, there were clouds! Some light cloud this night added the glow.

13898569 - Venus above the Pleiades star cluster, M45, on April 4, 2020, in the twilight and moonlight. Light from the gibbous Moon illuminated the sky, so no long exposure would reveal much detail in and around the Pleiades. Venus passes close to the Pleiades only every 8 years. It was closer the night before, but alas, there were clouds! Some light cloud this night added the glow.

$The outer corona during the total eclipse of the Sun, November 14, 2012, from a site near Lakeland Downs, Queensland. Shot through the Astro-Physics 105mm Traveler f/5.8 refractor scope, tracked on the AP 400 mount, and with the Canon 60Da. 1/60th sec at ISO 2000. (Shot as a still frame during Movie mode, so ISO adjusted by camera not shutter speed.)$

13899389 - The outer corona during the total eclipse of the Sun, November 14, 2012, from a site near Lakeland Downs, Queensland. Shot through the Astro-Physics 105mm Traveler f/5.8 refractor scope, tracked on the AP 400 mount, and with the Canon 60Da. 1/60th sec at ISO 2000. (Shot as a still frame during Movie mode, so ISO adjusted by camera not shutter speed.)

The nearly Full Moon rising on March 18 near the date of the March equinox (March 20 this year) , so it rose nearly due east this night. This March Moon is also popularly called the Worm Moon.

13898403 - The nearly Full Moon rising on March 18 near the date of the March equinox (March 20 this year) , so it rose nearly due east this night. This March Moon is also popularly called the Worm Moon.

Pineapple Selling Boat at Can Tho Floating Market, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Can Tho floating market is a hive of activity. Fruit piled high on the boats and market traders selling to each other as well as the passing tourists. Their are endless floating markets in the Mekong Delta, but Can Tho is one of the largest with hundreds of boats squeezing past each other every morning, before preparing for market again the next day. Each boat hangs an example of what they sell off the top of the boat so passers by know what they are selling.

13846770 - Pineapple Selling Boat at Can Tho Floating Market, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Can Tho floating market is a hive of activity. Fruit piled high on the boats and market traders selling to each other as well as the passing tourists. Their are endless floating markets in the Mekong Delta, but Can Tho is one of the largest with hundreds of boats squeezing past each other every morning, before preparing for market again the next day. Each boat hangs an example of what they sell off the top of the boat so passers by know what they are selling.

71436464 - France, river, Ardeche, in the bottlenecks of the so-called Gorge de Ardeche, in the limestone, Provence,

On August 24,2023 the waxing gibbous Moon occulted the bright star Antares in Scorpius. This is the scene about 30 minutes after the star reappeared from behind the moving Moon,and so here is a close conjunction. I missed capturing the actual occultation reappearance,though that would have been in a much brighter sky. And the Moon was low in my sky and amid the trees,here purposefully included to capture the scene low in the south,as Antares always is in late summer from my latitude of 51° N. .

13999102 - On August 24,2023 the waxing gibbous Moon occulted the bright star Antares in Scorpius. This is the scene about 30 minutes after the star reappeared from behind the moving Moon,and so here is a close conjunction. I missed capturing the actual occultation reappearance,though that would have been in a much brighter sky. And the Moon was low in my sky and amid the trees,here purposefully included to capture the scene low in the south,as Antares always is in late summer from my latitude of 51° N. .

IC 1318 area of Cygnus around Gamma Cygni. Stack of 4 x 15 minute exposure on a superb night, with TMB 92mm apo with Canon 5D MkII at ISO 400. A cooler night than previous ones as well, so lower base noise. Borg FF.

13899152 - IC 1318 area of Cygnus around Gamma Cygni. Stack of 4 x 15 minute exposure on a superb night, with TMB 92mm apo with Canon 5D MkII at ISO 400. A cooler night than previous ones as well, so lower base noise. Borg FF.

$Comet Holmes, 17P, taken Nov 1, 2007 on excellent night. Taken with A&M 105mm apo refractor at f/5 with Borg 0.85x compressor/field flattener on SkyWatcher HEQ5 mount. Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Composite of 4 min, 2min, 1min, 30sec, 15sec, and 7 sec exposures, each exposure being a stack of 3 to 4 identical exposures. Registered and stacked in Photoshop (HDR mode did not produce usable result, so manually composited with sucessively smaller masks to reveal short exposure content around nucleus. Contrast exaggerated with Curves to bring out very faint tail structure. North up, so tail to the$

13898997 - Comet Holmes, 17P, taken Nov 1, 2007 on excellent night. Taken with A&M 105mm apo refractor at f/5 with Borg 0.85x compressor/field flattener on SkyWatcher HEQ5 mount. Canon 20Da camera at ISO400. Composite of 4 min, 2min, 1min, 30sec, 15sec, and 7 sec exposures, each exposure being a stack of 3 to 4 identical exposures. Registered and stacked in Photoshop (HDR mode did not produce usable result, so manually composited with sucessively smaller masks to reveal short exposure content around nucleus. Contrast exaggerated with Curves to bring out very faint tail structure. North up, so tail to the

13846546 - A bee with its tongue fully extended, it is covered in pollen; The tongue is long and hairy at the end, so is good for soaking up nectar

13836610 - A wounded giraffe, with a poacher's snare on leg, is sedated so it can be treated by Kenya Wildlife Services mobile veterinary unit. Voi, Lualenyi Game Reserve, Kenya.

A moonlit scene of the Blakiston Valley in Waterton Lakes National Park,Alberta,May 29,2023. The waxing gibbous Moon is in the frame at top,providing the illumination and lighting Blakiston Creek. Moonlight is the same colour temperature as sunlight,so in a long exposure like this,a scene looks like daylight.

13999539 - A moonlit scene of the Blakiston Valley in Waterton Lakes National Park,Alberta,May 29,2023. The waxing gibbous Moon is in the frame at top,providing the illumination and lighting Blakiston Creek. Moonlight is the same colour temperature as sunlight,so in a long exposure like this,a scene looks like daylight.

The Milky Way over the old corral at the site of the 76 Ranch in the Frenchman Valley in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan. I shot this Aug 26 on a perfect night, with aurora beginning to kick up but still low in brightness when I shot this so the sky was dark. The foreground is lit by starlight, by the aurora brightening in the north, and by the occasional flashes of spotlights from naturalists down the valley spotting for nocturnal ferrets. The green bands in the sky are from natural airglow.

13898902 - The Milky Way over the old corral at the site of the 76 Ranch in the Frenchman Valley in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan. I shot this Aug 26 on a perfect night, with aurora beginning to kick up but still low in brightness when I shot this so the sky was dark. The foreground is lit by starlight, by the aurora brightening in the north, and by the occasional flashes of spotlights from naturalists down the valley spotting for nocturnal ferrets. The green bands in the sky are from natural airglow.

The October 14,2023 annular solar eclipse,in a single image captured at mid-eclipse,at 10:29 am MDT at the site I used. This site was the Ruby's Inn Overlook on the rim of Bryce Canyon,Utah,a site well south of the centreline,with 3m03s of annularity. Being south of the centreline moved the Moon to the north side of the Sun,so the Moon is offset from the centre of the Sun's disk.

13998567 - The October 14,2023 annular solar eclipse,in a single image captured at mid-eclipse,at 10:29 am MDT at the site I used. This site was the Ruby's Inn Overlook on the rim of Bryce Canyon,Utah,a site well south of the centreline,with 3m03s of annularity. Being south of the centreline moved the Moon to the north side of the Sun,so the Moon is offset from the centre of the Sun's disk.

13820460 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

An arc of a nearly semi-circular rainbow that appeared briefly right at sunset so the warm lighting made the rainbow appear more red than usual and set amid red clouds,brighter within the rainbow than outside the bow.

13998444 - An arc of a nearly semi-circular rainbow that appeared briefly right at sunset so the warm lighting made the rainbow appear more red than usual and set amid red clouds,brighter within the rainbow than outside the bow.

The region of the Southern Cross, Crux, at left and around the Carina Nebula, at right. To the left of the Southern Cross is the dark Coal Sack. Open star clusters around the Carina Nebula are NGC 3532 (at upper left of nebula), IC 2602, the Southern Pleiades (below the nebula), and NGC 3114 (right of nebula). Taken on a hazy night, so the glows around stars are natural and not introduced from a filter. This is a stack of 5 x 6 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the Sigma 50mm lens and Canon 60Da at ISO 800, on the iOptron SkyTracker. Taken from Coonabarbran, NSW, Australia, March 22, 2014.

13899499 - The region of the Southern Cross, Crux, at left and around the Carina Nebula, at right. To the left of the Southern Cross is the dark Coal Sack. Open star clusters around the Carina Nebula are NGC 3532 (at upper left of nebula), IC 2602, the Southern Pleiades (below the nebula), and NGC 3114 (right of nebula). Taken on a hazy night, so the glows around stars are natural and not introduced from a filter. This is a stack of 5 x 6 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the Sigma 50mm lens and Canon 60Da at ISO 800, on the iOptron SkyTracker. Taken from Coonabarbran, NSW, Australia, March 22, 2014.

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) in a telephoto lens close-up on July 19, 2020, showing the straight blue ion tail and the curving whitish-yellow dust tail. Even the ion tail was visible in binoculars and traceable out for 12° or so, or two binocular fields. A bit of cyan colour is visible around the head of the comet. The ninth magnitude galaxy NGC 2841 is visible to the right of the comet.

13898314 - Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) in a telephoto lens close-up on July 19, 2020, showing the straight blue ion tail and the curving whitish-yellow dust tail. Even the ion tail was visible in binoculars and traceable out for 12° or so, or two binocular fields. A bit of cyan colour is visible around the head of the comet. The ninth magnitude galaxy NGC 2841 is visible to the right of the comet.

13844923 - Sunset Mountain views in front of The Observatory Of Pic Du Midi De Bigorre, Hautes Pyrenees, Midi Pyrenees, France. The Col du Tourmalet is the highest paved mountain pass in the French Pyrenees second only to the Col de Portet. So in contrast to frequent claims.

The Decorated Street is so named because of some areas of stone fretworknear the ground on the back side of the Council Hall wall, at left. At right is the foundation of the Palace of the 6 Patios. Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico.

13849233 - The Decorated Street is so named because of some areas of stone fretworknear the ground on the back side of the Council Hall wall, at left. At right is the foundation of the Palace of the 6 Patios. Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico.

A parishioner at mass. The Evangelist Catholic Churc. 65 138th Street in harlem, New York, USA. Abyssinian Baptist Church, just across Malcolm X Boulevard (7th Ave), provide a more real than it is a Mass in Harlem, not so paraphernalia or gibberish vision. Located across from each other, offer Mass on Sunday morning at 9 and 11, with a more modest gospel choir and an infinitely smaller audience.

13846927 - A parishioner at mass. The Evangelist Catholic Churc. 65 138th Street in harlem, New York, USA. Abyssinian Baptist Church, just across Malcolm X Boulevard (7th Ave), provide a more real than it is a Mass in Harlem, not so paraphernalia or gibberish vision. Located across from each other, offer Mass on Sunday morning at 9 and 11, with a more modest gospel choir and an infinitely smaller audience.

Jungle Walk 8 Signpost in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. With fantastic scenery, a variety of nature and tea plantations that stretch as far as the eye can see, the Cameron Highlands in central Malaysia is a great place for a walking holiday. The routes are generally pretty well signposted and maps detailing the routes can be easy obtained in Tanah Rata. The dense jungle can make walking quite difficult sometimes, so it is worth following the advice on levels of fitness required for each route through the jungle.

13844271 - Jungle Walk 8 Signpost in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. With fantastic scenery, a variety of nature and tea plantations that stretch as far as the eye can see, the Cameron Highlands in central Malaysia is a great place for a walking holiday. The routes are generally pretty well signposted and maps detailing the routes can be easy obtained in Tanah Rata. The dense jungle can make walking quite difficult sometimes, so it is worth following the advice on levels of fitness required for each route through the jungle.

13836591 - A wounded lioness is darted so she can be treated by Kenya Wildlife Services mobile veterinary unit. Voi, Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya.

13820556 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

A nearly semi-circular rainbow that appeared briefly right at sunset so the warm lighting made the rainbow appear more red than usual and set amid red clouds,brighter within the rainbow than outside the bow.

13998578 - A nearly semi-circular rainbow that appeared briefly right at sunset so the warm lighting made the rainbow appear more red than usual and set amid red clouds,brighter within the rainbow than outside the bow.

13820502 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

14024047 - Cyclamen so midi

The setting Sun descending into a fog bank on a rural highway looking due west,on the evening of the vernal equinox,March 20,2023. So the Sun is setting due west. The fog dims and reddens the Sun,illustrating atmospheric absorption. This was on Highway 561 in southern Alberta.

13999526 - The setting Sun descending into a fog bank on a rural highway looking due west,on the evening of the vernal equinox,March 20,2023. So the Sun is setting due west. The fog dims and reddens the Sun,illustrating atmospheric absorption. This was on Highway 561 in southern Alberta.

13845485 - A parishioner at mass. The Evangelist Catholic Churc. 65 138th Street in harlem, New York, USA. Abyssinian Baptist Church, just across Malcolm X Boulevard (7th Ave), provide a more real than it is a Mass in Harlem, not so paraphernalia or gibberish vision. Located across from each other, offer Mass on Sunday morning at 9 and 11, with a more modest gospel choir and an infinitely smaller audience.

This is a composite that records the sequence around mid-eclipse of the October 14,2023 annular eclipse of the Sun. At this eclipse the Moon was near apogee so its disk was not large enough to completely cover the Sun's photosphere and create a total eclipse.

13998342 - This is a composite that records the sequence around mid-eclipse of the October 14,2023 annular eclipse of the Sun. At this eclipse the Moon was near apogee so its disk was not large enough to completely cover the Sun's photosphere and create a total eclipse.

Comet Wirtanen (aka 46P) as it appeared in my sky on November 28, 2018 with it still only 17° above my southern horizon, so partly in haze. The comet was obvious in big 10x70mm binoculars as a large diffuse glow. Wirtanen was moving north and had just entered my western Canadian sky the week I took this.

13897554 - Comet Wirtanen (aka 46P) as it appeared in my sky on November 28, 2018 with it still only 17° above my southern horizon, so partly in haze. The comet was obvious in big 10x70mm binoculars as a large diffuse glow. Wirtanen was moving north and had just entered my western Canadian sky the week I took this.

13820499 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

14024050 - Cyclamen so midi

13820662 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

The summer Milky Way rising late on a spring night over a fallow wheatfield in spring, 2013. Taken from home, May 6, 2013, with the Canon 5D MkII and Samyang 14mm lens at f/2.8 for a stack of 5 x 2.5 minute exposures at ISO 1600, all tracked on the iOptron Sky-Tracker. The ground is from one exposure. Taken from a latitude of +50° so Scorpius at right and Sagittarius right of centre are skimming the southern horizon. Taken from southern Alberta, Canada.

13898959 - The summer Milky Way rising late on a spring night over a fallow wheatfield in spring, 2013. Taken from home, May 6, 2013, with the Canon 5D MkII and Samyang 14mm lens at f/2.8 for a stack of 5 x 2.5 minute exposures at ISO 1600, all tracked on the iOptron Sky-Tracker. The ground is from one exposure. Taken from a latitude of +50° so Scorpius at right and Sagittarius right of centre are skimming the southern horizon. Taken from southern Alberta, Canada.

13820454 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

This wide-field image frames the end stars of the Big Dipper's handle — Mizar at top,and Alkaid at bottom — and to also include in the frame the bright galaxies Messier 101 (at left) and Messier 51 (at lower right,aka the Whirlpool Galaxy). They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the Handle. The famous double star Mizar and Alcor is also obvious at top,as is the red giant star 83 Ursa Majoris. The field is 10° x 15°,so wider than binoculars.

13999239 - This wide-field image frames the end stars of the Big Dipper's handle — Mizar at top,and Alkaid at bottom — and to also include in the frame the bright galaxies Messier 101 (at left) and Messier 51 (at lower right,aka the Whirlpool Galaxy). They are small on this image scale but the image serves for a finder chart illustration of the location of these galaxies relative to the Handle. The famous double star Mizar and Alcor is also obvious at top,as is the red giant star 83 Ursa Majoris. The field is 10° x 15°,so wider than binoculars.

The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above Venus on July 20,2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night,so not a close conjunction. Venus is also a thin crescent but at this scale the phase of Venus is not obvious.

13998736 - The waxing 3-day-old crescent Moon above Venus on July 20,2023 amid the colours of a late evening summer sunset. The Moon was 8° above Venus this night,so not a close conjunction. Venus is also a thin crescent but at this scale the phase of Venus is not obvious.

The northern autumn constellations of Pegasus (partially seen at right), Andromeda (across the centre), Perseus (at lower left) and Cassiopeia (at upper left) rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at centre. The star clusters NGC 752, M34 and the Double Cluster are at left, as well as the Perseus OB Association of stars. Some of the small star clusters in Cassiopeia are resolved as well.

13898171 - The northern autumn constellations of Pegasus (partially seen at right), Andromeda (across the centre), Perseus (at lower left) and Cassiopeia (at upper left) rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at centre. The star clusters NGC 752, M34 and the Double Cluster are at left, as well as the Perseus OB Association of stars. Some of the small star clusters in Cassiopeia are resolved as well.

The waxing crescent Moon and Venus, in haze, over the old barn near home in southern Alberta. Clouds in the west thwarted plans tonight to shoot from the mountains so I the best of my local venue, though even here clouds fuzzed the Moon and Venus.

13898124 - The waxing crescent Moon and Venus, in haze, over the old barn near home in southern Alberta. Clouds in the west thwarted plans tonight to shoot from the mountains so I the best of my local venue, though even here clouds fuzzed the Moon and Venus.

13820453 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

Stack of two 6 minute exposures at ISO 400 and f/4 with 15mm lens and Canon 5DMkII camera. Taken Sept 10, 2009 with Moon just rising or about to, so sky is brighter than normal.

13898604 - Stack of two 6 minute exposures at ISO 400 and f/4 with 15mm lens and Canon 5DMkII camera. Taken Sept 10, 2009 with Moon just rising or about to, so sky is brighter than normal.

The 4-day-old waxing crescent Moon on April 8, 2019 in a single exposure when the Moon was still in the bright blue twilight. Even so, the faint Earthshine is just becoming visible.

13900455 - The 4-day-old waxing crescent Moon on April 8, 2019 in a single exposure when the Moon was still in the bright blue twilight. Even so, the faint Earthshine is just becoming visible.

13820521 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

13999388 - The setting Sun descending into a fog bank on a rural highway looking due west,on the evening of the vernal equinox,March 20,2023. So the Sun is setting due west. The fog dims and reddens the Sun,illustrating atmospheric absorption. This was on Highway 561 in southern Alberta.

A small Italian tree cricket with fully developed wings, so it can fly. It makes a sound of variable intensity which desorientates possible predators

13848686 - A small Italian tree cricket with fully developed wings, so it can fly. It makes a sound of variable intensity which desorientates possible predators

13848472 - Pineapple Selling Boat at Can Tho Floating Market, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Can Tho floating market is a hive of activity. Fruit piled high on the boats and market traders selling to each other as well as the passing tourists. Their are endless floating markets in the Mekong Delta, but Can Tho is one of the largest with hundreds of boats squeezing past each other every morning, before preparing for market again the next day. Each boat hangs an example of what they sell off the top of the boat so passers by know what they are selling.

This is a stack of images demonstrating the number of satellites passing through the field of a wide-field telescope over a little more an hour. The field frames the Coma Berenices star cluster. This is from my home at 51° North, a latitude more prone to seeing satellites lit by the Sun well into the evening, if not all night closer to summer solstice. Most trails are north-south so they are likely NOT Starlink satellites but polar orbiting satellites. Interesting that the trails have different colours, likely from their solar panels or other structures reflecting blue and gold tints.

13899519 - This is a stack of images demonstrating the number of satellites passing through the field of a wide-field telescope over a little more an hour. The field frames the Coma Berenices star cluster. This is from my home at 51° North, a latitude more prone to seeing satellites lit by the Sun well into the evening, if not all night closer to summer solstice. Most trails are north-south so they are likely NOT Starlink satellites but polar orbiting satellites. Interesting that the trails have different colours, likely from their solar panels or other structures reflecting blue and gold tints.

A 200+ degree panorama of the arch of the winter Milky Way, from south (left) to northwest (ar right) with the Zodiacal Light to the west at centre. This was from Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta on February 28, 2017. A spell of warm weather left very little snow, so the landscape does not look like winter here. But the sky is!

13898407 - A 200+ degree panorama of the arch of the winter Milky Way, from south (left) to northwest (ar right) with the Zodiacal Light to the west at centre. This was from Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta on February 28, 2017. A spell of warm weather left very little snow, so the landscape does not look like winter here. But the sky is!

A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:45 pm MDT. Capella is the bright star due north down the north-south range road at right. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground.

13897743 - A panorama of a fairly bright display of noctilucent clouds to the northwest early in the evening on July 7, 2022. Even so, this was about 11:45 pm MDT. Capella is the bright star due north down the north-south range road at right. The bright NLCs contrast with the dark silhouettes of the closer and lower tropospheric clouds. A gibbous Moon lights the foreground.

13820520 - Polar Bear (Ursa maritimus) in fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) on an island off the sub-arctic coast of Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Bears come to spend the summer loafing on the island and looking for a careless seal or dead whale to wash up. Global warming has shortened their winter so they are increasingly looking for food in the summer.

71411021 - Bolivia, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni. Cones of salt have been scraped up so that the salt will dry before being harvested.

71414212 - Bolivia, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni. Cones of salt have been scraped up so that the salt will dry before being harvested.

12239871 - Removing the giblets and bones from a guinea fowl so it can be stuffed

11500834 - Potatoes being skewered so they don't burst on the barbecue

71414213 - Bolivia, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni. Cones of salt have been scraped up so that the salt will dry before being harvested.

13432663 - Fold the puff pastry together several times so that everything rises crispy in the oven

11318621 - Not So Cosmo – Christmas virgin cocktails made from lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice and cranberry juice

13280187 - 'Not-so-pale-pale-Ale' beer (full frame)