Archive 2024 · Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
p.1 #1Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Congratulations to kylebarendrick for winning Feature Thread of the Week with 9 votes - View Previous Winners
I captured this on Friday evening. My original goal was to find a spot in Yosemite Valley to take advantage of the Milky Way to the west. Having seen "reverse tunnel view" photos from people looking for different angles of horsetail falls, I felt like that would be a good option. I found a clear view from the 4-mile trail and made may way there after dark. I had completely forgotten about the comet until I looked at my images and saw it hanging out near El Capitan. This is essentially a single image, except that I blended 6 photos of the ground in a smart object stack to smooth out the lights from the cars and clean up the noise. I had also forgotten that the tunnel itself would be visible from this angle.
Any thoughts are welcome.
Canon EOS R5 TAMRON SP 35mm F/1.4 Di USD F045 lens 35mm f/1.4 13s 2000 ISO 0.0 EV
Oct 31, 2024 at 04:07 PM
p.1 #3Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Beautiful night sky image with comet in great harmony
Oct 31, 2024 at 06:00 PM
p.1 #5Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Great image! Excellent view out the valley.
Oct 31, 2024 at 08:38 PM
p.1 #13Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Glorious image, Kyle! You have my vote.
Nov 02, 2024 at 08:31 PM
p.1 #17Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
You say this was a single image, except for the ground parts.
I'm curious as to the exposure that allows such a wide range of light in the sky. Is it just a "longish" exposure at high ISO that allows the last little bit of fading sunset to light the sky at the end of the valley in the center of the image yet sill show the Milky Way at the top of the image?
I ask because I know very little about astro photography. I've only done it a few times but with mostly zero success.
Cheers,
TJ
I'm curious as to the exposure that allows such a wide range of light in the sky. Is it just a "longish" exposure at high ISO that allows the last little bit of fading sunset to light the sky at the end of the valley in the center of the image yet sill show the Milky Way at the top of the image?
I ask because I know very little about astro photography. I've only done it a few times but with mostly zero success.
Cheers,
TJ
Nov 03, 2024 at 11:22 AM
p.1 #18Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Thank you all for the kind words.
TJ Asher wrote:
You say this was a single image, except for the ground parts.
I'm curious as to the exposure that allows such a wide range of light in the sky. Is it just a "longish" exposure at high ISO that allows the last little bit of fading sunset to light the sky at the end of the valley in the center of the image yet sill show the Milky Way at the top of the image?
I ask because I know very little about astro photography. I've only done it a few times but with mostly zero success.
Cheers,
TJ
The sky is a single image: ISO 2000, f/1.4, 13s at 35mm. I'm pretty sure the light in the lower middle is light pollution from the central valley rather than the fading sunset.
The ground was in shadow and needed to be brought up quite a bit. Blending 6 identical exposures helped reduce the noise to give me room to do that. The other thing that helped was the cars in the valley. Their headlights added some nice light on the left.
I always find it interesting how much can be picked up with a long exposure at night.
TJ Asher wrote:
You say this was a single image, except for the ground parts.
I'm curious as to the exposure that allows such a wide range of light in the sky. Is it just a "longish" exposure at high ISO that allows the last little bit of fading sunset to light the sky at the end of the valley in the center of the image yet sill show the Milky Way at the top of the image?
I ask because I know very little about astro photography. I've only done it a few times but with mostly zero success.
Cheers,
TJ
The sky is a single image: ISO 2000, f/1.4, 13s at 35mm. I'm pretty sure the light in the lower middle is light pollution from the central valley rather than the fading sunset.
The ground was in shadow and needed to be brought up quite a bit. Blending 6 identical exposures helped reduce the noise to give me room to do that. The other thing that helped was the cars in the valley. Their headlights added some nice light on the left.
I always find it interesting how much can be picked up with a long exposure at night.
Nov 03, 2024 at 12:52 PM
p.1 #19Reverse Tunnel Stars and Comet
Great capture. The compliment came from someone who was living over ten years on the edge of Yosemite.
Bob
Bob
Nov 04, 2024 at 09:09 PM