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Category: Star Trails

Stars Over Monuments

Stars Over Monuments landscape photo by Dan Bourque

Stars leave their multi-colored trails over a moonlit Monument Valley in Arizona.

Details: iconic Monument Valley in Arizona is stunning, and star trails are cool, so when you can combine them in one image it’s a real treat! This is the result of more than three hours of total exposure time to capture the movement of the earth against the stars, and a full moon lit up the valley beautifully. The light on the horizon is the approaching dawn.

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Stars over Salida

Stars over Salida landscape photo by Dan Bourque

A trail of stars falls gently over the Rocky Mountain town of Salida in central Colorado.

Details: This image was taken on a winter night and captures about 90 minutes of total exposure time. It’s amazing how far the stars move in that amount of time (yes, I understand they’re not really moving and it’s just the earth rotating. . .).  Star trails take a lot of forethought and patience, but the result can be an amazing image that only your camera can truly “see.” This is a composite of more than 150 individual images, and in addition to the movement of the stars, I also love that it captures the movement of cars along the roads and up into the mountains, including a couple heading up to the spot locals call “S Mountain” in the lower right.

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Orion and Company

Orion and Company

The constellation Orion and its neighbors streak over winter woods.

Details: I love shooting star trails, and I particularly love this image because the constellation Orion with his belt of three stars can be clearly discerned in the upper right despite the star trails streaming from it. The bright star in the lower right is Sirius, and the brightest trail near the top-center is Jupiter. This is also my longest star trail photo to date with around 2 hours of total exposure time. Combined with a shot southward toward the equator, this equals long trails. The slightest light has turned the trees nearly white due to the long exposure.

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Here’s a link to a time-lapse video made from the photos used in this video (and yes, I had to edit out the airplane trails dot by dot)

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Stars Swirling Above the Cabin

Stars Swirling Above the Cabin

Hundreds of streaking stars swirl around and in the large windows of Look Out Lodge.

Details: This star trail image was created from more than 100 minutes of total exposure time on the deck of Look Out Lodge on Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. The circle created by the stars indicates the camera is pointed north (northwest to be exact). What I love about this particular image is the way the stars reflected in the window arc the opposite direction creating a sense of balance in the composition.

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Star Trails over the Cabin

Star Trails over the Cabin

Stars arc over Look Out Lodge on Lake Cumberland.

Details: Star trail photos are one of my favorite things to do with a camera. It’s different from other images in that you can’t really see the lines of the trails until you process the image which requires a lot of estimation and visualization of your composition. This image, looking south over Look Out Lodge on Lake Cumberland, Kentucky, represents about 70 minutes of total exposure time. The brightest “star” in the upper right is Jupiter.

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Just for fun, here’s a time-lapse video made from the same photos that were used to create this image

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Star Flurries over Poncha

Star Flurries over Poncha

Star trails swirl above the lights of Poncha Springs, Colorado like snow flurries in the night.

Details: this image is the result of more than 75 minutes of exposure time and shows just how much the stars move in an hour. The camera is on a ridge overlooking the small (but bright) town of Poncha Springs and is pointed northwest toward the 14,000 foot Mount Antero and the continental divide on this cold and clear November night.

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Starry Streaks Across the Milky Way

Starry Streaks Across the Milky Way

A brilliant Milky Way illuminates strange rock formations as stars streak by.

Details: this image was created from more than 80 images to capture 40 minutes of star movement at the Paint Mines near Calhan, Colorado. Straight trails mark the line of the equator with curving trails of northern stars to the left and southern stars to the right.

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Just for fun, I also converted these images into a time-lapse video so you can watch the show. Enjoy!

Starry Streaks Across the Milky Way – Time Lapse

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Golden Circle of Stars

Golden Circle of Stars

Stars circle like the rotor of a helicopter against a golden sky over bizarre formations.

Details: 75 images and 40 minutes of total exposure time were used to create this unique image of the Paint Mines in Calhan, Colorado. The North Star is just hidden behind the large rock to get the effect of stars circling around it. The golden sky is from the lights of Denver, about 70 miles away.

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Just for fun, I’ve created a time-lapse video so you can see the motion of the stars used to create this image. Enjoy!

Golden Circle of Stars – Time Lapse

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Still Rocks Against a Circling Sky

Still Rocks Against a Circling Sky

Twisted rock formations under a pink and purple sky of curving star trails.

Details: This star-trail photo was made from more than 70 30-second exposures over 35 minutes and features the bizarre hoodoo formations of the Paint Mines near Calhan, Colorado.  And yes, I know it’s technically the rocks that are circling while the sky stands still. . .

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  • All images and graphics are the property of the photographer and should not be used without permission. All Images copyright Dan Bourque