Cold weather? Check. Snow? Check. Wind chills below -25 F? Oh yes, check. But once I get on to something, like a new hobby, not even winter can stop me…and with that in mind, this weekend’s adventure led to a new spot and night of astrophotography! Are you excited to see this adventure? I hope so…because here it goes.
Quick spoiler alert: it was too cold to bring our daughter, so no cute photos of her below. Sorry, but we didn’t want to risk my dad’s truck a) breaking down and b) getting stranded somewhere. So this one is a solo weekend expedition. Liza is ok with me getting stranded in the middle of the night, but not Hattie.
The site I choose to shoot at was the Coulee State Experimental Forest. The site is roughly 3,000 acres of public land; hunting, horseback riding, cross country skiing, hiking, even stargazing is permitted on the land. It was purchased by the state of Wisconsin a number of years ago to “investigate forest watershed problems and develop forest and land management practices to reduce water problems and improve forest yields.” We have cross country skied at this spot a number of times in the past, but I figured “hey, I bet the stars look awesome out there at night.” So away I went to scope it out.
Lots of snow, cold, blue skies, and wind too. The area is located in what is called the coulee region, or the ravine region. It’s very old and was never touched by the glaciers; most of the land is populated with farmland and the occasional cluster of towns. And no cluster of town would be without its friendly tavern. I’d share a picture, but I could not feel my feet on the drive back and opted to skip the photoshoot.
With the stage set Saturday night, and with site reconnaissance complete, we read a few books to Hattie, tucked her into her cozy bed for the night, I went outside and warmed up the truck. Twenty minutes later (and suited up with a Canada Goose parka and warm boots), away I went into the cold, dark, February night.
And 30 minutes later, my arrival was met at a desolate parking lot. Believe it or not, no one else was out there that – ha…let’s not kid around, no one is crazy enough to go stand in a field on a -25F wind chill night. Hey, but it’s worth it, right? So with the tripod in hand, a flashlight strapped to my head, and a small prayer that the truck would not die in the next 45 minutes, I trodded out into an open field and let the hunt for Orion begin. And the results, to be honest, although not great yet, were much better under the (darker) sky. Without further ado, I give you the Orion starfield courtesy of the Google Pixel 5 and me standing in the dark, in cold temperatures, and with Bigfoot watching me from the tree line (just kidding on that part, I think.):
Not too bad. it’s not Astrophotography with a proper DSLR camera, but it’s a start. You can see Orion’s belt, Orions’s sword, and Beatleguese on the right shoulder.
Next is a photo of the northern skies; the Big Dipper is faint but distant. Plenty of stars to see, but to be honest, I’m just starting to learn the night sky. It’s an exciting exercise (for me, anyway...)
And another photo of the Great Orion starfield. So many stars, so many deep space objects lurking out there...it makes you want to get a proper rig, right?
Not bad, but not great. Still, it is a smartphone camera, and I’m impressed. It does make me want to get more involved with the hobby, but I’ll hold tight for a bit on further expenses. Plus, my goal is to find even darker skies this winter and spring in the area to continue to photograph the night sky. I'm still dinking about with these editors and trying to get a good present figured out; more stuff to figure out (and if you have any advice, please let me know below).
Thanks again for reading, and until my next adventure, I hope this one finds everyone safe, healthy, and happy as we start the new week.