My first photos of the Zodiacal Light,
this was on the road to Crown King, AZ...
At the top of the sky, the Zodiacal Light reached up to the Pleiades and the Milky Way above Agua Fria National Monument
Astronomers say it's sunlight reflecting off dust grains in the inner solar system. The very dust left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets 4.5 billion years ago.
In a recent star observing run, I set up my camera on the tracking mount while it was still light to make sure everything would be ready to go. Soon after this bird kept flying around my car, it looked like a cross between an owl and a hawk. It was looking for dinner and I just didn't have enough time to take my camera off of the mount to capture him. He was beautiful, I have never seen a bird like him in the desert. After I got home I decided to look up what kind of bird he was and just draw him. He was a northern harrier a long way from home.
Every now and then I will write a blog, and this time it is once in a Blue Moon. I've always loved looking up at the moon, I have recently written a song about it. It's actually a love song between the Earth and the Moon. I hope to release it in the next few months! Here are the lyrics:
Drawn to You
My path was laid before me A small speck in a sparkling sea Already so drawn to you Moon Stands Still Every second - every day My curved path only looks your way I fall closer, drawn to you
Moon Stands Still
You won't see my dark side Only the light I won't hide So locked in, drawn to you Moon Stands Still All I can do is rise your tide But at the same time I step aside With each pull, drawn to you Moon Stands Still
But you keep moving faster But to me you're always my master Still falling, still drawn to you Moon Stands Still
Tell me I'm your only moon That you like this phase and make your heart swoon Drawn to you another 30 days Moon Stands Still
This morning it was so nice to see the metamorphosis of the blue moon into the blood red eclipse. It was much better than I thought from my location. I only got to witness the prelude into the full eclipse, then watched the encore fade into the impending dawn.
And a few more photos of the full eclipse:
The last lunar eclipse I got to photograph was April 15, 2015, that appeared after sunset, a few of my photos from that event:
Rising through the clouds, the eclipse was already in process in Sedona, Arizona
Spooky clouds halfway through make it look like the darkness has the moon in its grasp.
The last photo is upside down as it was taken through my 6 inch dobsonian telescope.
May the moonlight always bring you peace ~~~~~~~Laurie