Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Newman's Limeade

Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. After a fantastic dinner at our favorite place, I decided to go try to shoot some stars to bring in the New Year. Terry has a sore foot, so I set out on my own at Ft Ord...just me, my camera, my headlamp, and a warm down jacket!

We get very few crispy clear nights around here, due to our close proximity to the ocean. We also live between Monterey and Salinas, both of which produce plenty of light pollution. But, because it was so clear (and cold), I figured it was a good night to try to shoot some stars. There was also a bright moon, which would help illuminate the the foreground.

My first thought was star trails, but I didn't feel like staying out there that long by myself. So I just did a few long exposures near a couple of my favorite Ft Ord trees. I haven't had much luck with star photography in the past, so my expectations were low. So, if you weren't looking at the stars at midnight last night, here's what they looked like.

The brightest star in the above image isn't a star at all...its Jupiter! The moon really illuminated this scene. Local mountain bikers should recognize that trail!