APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

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APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:05 am

Image A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon

Explanation: Seeing mountain peaks glow red from inside the Grand Canyon was one of the most incredible sunset experiences of this amateur photographer's life. They appeared even more incredible later, when digitally combined with an exposure of the night sky -- taken by the same camera and from the same location -- an hour later. The two images were taken last August from the 220 Mile Canyon campsite on the Colorado River, Arizona, USA. The peaks glow red because they were lit by an usually red sunset. Later, high above, the band of the Milky Way Galaxy angled dramatically down, filled with stars, nebula, and dark clouds of dust. To the Milky Way's left is the planet Saturn, while to the right is the brighter Jupiter. Although Jupiter and Saturn are now hard to see, Venus will be visible and quite bright to the west in clear skies, just after sunset, for the next two months.

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by madtom1999 » Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:09 am

It really doesnt look right.

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by EmanueleBalboni » Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:32 am

madtom1999 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:09 am It really doesnt look right.
I completely agree.

RC Davison

Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by RC Davison » Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:05 pm

Did you mean to say “an unusually red sunset”, not “...usually...”?

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Tragic Astronomy » Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:16 pm

Don't tell me what the poets are doing
Don't tell me that they're talking tough
Don't tell me that they're anti-social
Somehow not anti-social enough

Don't tell me what the poets are doing
Those Himalayas of the mind
Don't tell me what the poet's been doing
In the long passes over time

Don't tell me what the poets are doing
On the street and the epitome of vague
Don't tell me how the Universe is altered
When you find out how he gets paid, all right

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Ann » Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:42 pm

EmanueleBalboni wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:32 am
madtom1999 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:09 am It really doesnt look right.
I completely agree.
It's a composite image. It says so in the caption.

Ann
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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by TheZuke! » Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:19 pm

I wonder if my DSLR is capable of taking such a "deep" photo of The Milky Way.
(I'm not referring to the entire composite APOD)

Any tips for me?

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:21 pm

Ann wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:42 pm
EmanueleBalboni wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:32 am
madtom1999 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:09 am It really doesnt look right.
I completely agree.
It's a composite image. It says so in the caption.
I have no problem in principle with composites- that's often the best way to capture a scene, or show something otherwise difficult to capture. But I agree that this doesn't look right, and I fail to see what it demonstrates astronomically. The colors, both land and sky, are oversaturated. The masking between land and sky isn't very good. In the real world you could never see a dramatic Milky Way and a sunset together.

This image is abstract art. As art, we can either like it or not. But IMO it's rather out of place as an APOD.
Chris

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:25 pm

TheZuke! wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:19 pm I wonder if my DSLR is capable of taking such a "deep" photo of The Milky Way.
(I'm not referring to the entire composite APOD)

Any tips for me?
Most decent modern DSLR (or similar) cameras can take very nice Milky Way shots. Use as high an ISO setting as the camera supports without getting too noisy (which has gotten pretty high on many cameras- 3200 or more), shoot as long of exposures as you can without getting star trailing- with a moderately wide angle lens that's likely to be around 30 seconds, and then stack some frames (in fact, you may not need to do so- a single 30-second image may be all you need).
Chris

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by orin stepanek » Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:55 pm

I love today's APOD! :D

By the way!
GrandCanyonSunset_Fugate_960.jpg
Orin

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Feb 04, 2020 3:04 pm

orin stepanek wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:55 pm I love today's APOD! :D

By the way!
Andromeda?
Definitely not. You've circled the NE corner of the Teapot (Sagittarius), although the brightest object in there is actually Saturn. The streak is probably a meteor or a satellite trail. Andromeda is completely on the other side of the sky.
Chris

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by orin stepanek » Tue Feb 04, 2020 3:09 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 3:04 pm
orin stepanek wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:55 pm I love today's APOD! :D

By the way!
Andromeda?
Definitely not. You've circled the NE corner of the Teapot (Sagittarius), although the brightest object in there is actually Saturn. The streak is probably a meteor or a satellite trail. Andromeda is completely on the other side of the sky.
OK! Thanks :ssmile:
Orin

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Cousin Ricky » Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm

How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:45 pm

Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
What, you didn't hear about the massive flood last summer that excavated out another few hundred miles of the Grand Canyon, pushing it clear back into Colorado? You're using the wrong news outlets!
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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by neufer » Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:47 pm


Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm
How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
The same way the Kansas City Chiefs can be in Kansas. :arrow:
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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by BDanielMayfield » Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:24 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:45 pm
Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
What, you didn't hear about the massive flood last summer that excavated out another few hundred miles of the Grand Canyon, pushing it clear back into Colorado? You're using the wrong news outlets!
neufer wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:47 pm

Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm
How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
The same way the Kansas City Chiefs can be in Kansas. :arrow:
Very funny y'all, although maybe not to people in Arizona and Missouri. :lol2:
Just as zero is not equal to infinity, everything coming from nothing is illogical.

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by RJN » Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:37 pm

RC Davison wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:05 pm Did you mean to say “an unusually red sunset”, not “...usually...”?
Fixed. I could stare at that all day and not realize my mistake! Apologies.
Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
This one I should have caught. And I have driven through Arizona (south to north) and passed not far from the Grand Canyon, too! (Couldn't visit. Long story. I will one day.) Both of these oversights have now been fixed on the main NASA APOD. - RJN

kgb858ab

Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by kgb858ab » Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:50 pm

above Saturn there is a straight white line and a star(?) above that. Sitting at the top of the star is a red spot. Are these anomalies created by the digital photo process?

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Feb 04, 2020 7:12 pm

kgb858ab wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:50 pm above Saturn there is a straight white line and a star(?) above that. Sitting at the top of the star is a red spot. Are these anomalies created by the digital photo process?
The star is 39-Omicron Sag (mag 3.8). Curiously missing is 41-Pi Sag (mag 2.9) which should be up and to the left of the dimmer star by about the same amount that Saturn is below and to the right. The streak is probably real- I'd guess a meteor or a satellite flare. Odd colored spots and halos around stars are imaging artifacts.
Chris

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by TheZuke! » Tue Feb 04, 2020 8:56 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 2:25 pm Most decent modern DSLR (or similar) cameras can take very nice Milky Way shots. Use as high an ISO setting as the camera supports without getting too noisy (which has gotten pretty high on many cameras- 3200 or more), shoot as long of exposures as you can without getting star trailing- with a moderately wide angle lens that's likely to be around 30 seconds, and then stack some frames (in fact, you may not need to do so- a single 30-second image may be all you need).
Thanks Chris!

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by bystander » Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:41 pm

BDanielMayfield wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 6:24 pm
Chris Peterson wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:45 pm
Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
What, you didn't hear about the massive flood last summer that excavated out another few hundred miles of the Grand Canyon, pushing it clear back into Colorado? You're using the wrong news outlets!
neufer wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:47 pm
Cousin Ricky wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:37 pm How is this in the Grand Canyon and in Colorado at the same time?
The same way the Kansas City Chiefs can be in Kansas. :arrow:
Very funny y'all, although maybe not to people in Arizona and Missouri. :lol2:
There actually is a Kansas City, KS, although it's not where the Chiefs play.
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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by Gimmeslack12 » Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:49 pm

I know it's a composite, but this APOD amazed me when I saw it this morning. Even better as the full res image.

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Re: APOD: A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon (2020 Feb 04)

Post by rstevenson » Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:46 pm

Tragic Astronomy wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 12:16 pm Don't tell me what the poets are doing
Don't tell me that they're talking tough
Don't tell me that they're anti-social
Somehow not anti-social enough
...
I'm not sure why you posted these lyrics, but it would have been polite to include the songwriters' names.

Songwriters: Gordon Downie / Johnny Fay / Joseph Paul Langlois / Robert Baker / Robert Gordon Sinclair

Rob

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