I went on a “mini-tour” of folks from the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York as four members joined Rush Dudley and me on a trip through southern New Mexico in late April and early Mary 2017. We camped for three nights at the City of Rocks State Park in southwest New Mexico, an incredible terrain of giant granite boulders that fell in this area eons ago, ejected from a volcano that blew its top. We photographed under a clear dark sky each night, seeing amazing detail in the Milky Way. One night was spent near the Very Large Array near Magdalena. After that, the four AAA members returned to New York. Rush and I returned south to White Sands National Monument, the largest area of gypsum sand dunes in the world. I experimented with a new infrared camera, which photographs only at wavelengths of 720 nanometers and longer.
Panoramic of the Milky Way rising over the rocks.
Maggie’s tent and the Milky Way.
Jupiter and rocks by moonlight.
Zenith, moonlight.
Monolith and moon.
Rocks, moonlight.
Jupiter and rocks, moonlight.
Soaptree yucca
Ocotilla
Prickly Pear cactus by moonlight.
Prickly pear cactus and a twilight Milky Way.
Yucca and moon, White Sands National Monument.
Yucca plants, White Sands N.M. in infrared.
Dunes, White Sands N.M. in infrared.
Very Large Array radio telescope facility and the Milky Way in infrared.
Saturn, Lagoon and Trifid Nebulas and central Milky Way.
Giant orange star Antares, star cluster M4 and the Rho Ophiucius region.
These photos are magnificent! I felt a sense of awe, almost spiritual in nature.
Thank you.
Stunning!! The large rocks and their shadows make such a prehistoric impression–older than Stonehenge, with the same very old stars, just in different configurations. As a therapist, I have studied lists of human emotions, and mostly they omit one that your photos evoke: AWE. Thanks so much–
magnificent and inspiring, stan…
Stan…fantastic as usual.
Marcus
Gorgeous photos!!! otherworldly!
Great photos as usual, Stan. Thanks for sharing!
–Bill
Cuyahoga Astronomical Association