search results
Image 84 of 103
Less

Aurora Tower and Galaxy

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

By 2AM most visitors had left the park. Coyotes quieted down as the temperature fell into the mid 20’s and frost appeared on the grass. Clouds were still keeping their distance. The moon had set hours ago. The northern lights had dimmed since their peak at 10pm. But the night was not over. In the southeast the core of the Milky Way galaxy was just peeking over the horizon. It formed a huge band that arced to the northeast, where it was drowned out by the gently pulsing green and red aurora. With fresh batteries in my headlamp, I climbed up to a cliff marked on my map. From this viewpoint I could capture the entire scene in a panorama, with Devils Tower in the middle. Below could be seen the meandering Belle Fourche River with the Bear Lodge Mountains beyond. The Milky Way first returned from its winter slumber a couple months ago. But I like to wait until this time of year to see it because it’s easier to stay up. These rare views are the reason I will always be a night owl.

Copyright
Kevin Palmer Photography
Image Size
7632x2544 / 10.4MB
Keywords
Contained in galleries
Wyoming, Devils Tower National Monument, Northern Lights, Panoramas, Best of 2023, Recent Work
By 2AM most visitors had left the park. Coyotes quieted down as the temperature fell into the mid 20’s and frost appeared on the grass. Clouds were still keeping their distance. The moon had set hours ago. The northern lights had dimmed since their peak at 10pm. But the night was not over. In the southeast the core of the Milky Way galaxy was just peeking over the horizon. It formed a huge band that arced to the northeast, where it was drowned out by the gently pulsing green and red aurora. With fresh batteries in my headlamp, I climbed up to a cliff marked on my map. From this viewpoint I could capture the entire scene in a panorama, with Devils Tower in the middle. Below could be seen the meandering Belle Fourche River with the Bear Lodge Mountains beyond. The Milky Way first returned from its winter slumber a couple months ago. But I like to wait until this time of year to see it because it’s easier to stay up. These rare views are the reason I will always be a night owl.