Kevin Palmer

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  • After shooting the aurora over Nuuk Fjord for hours, it moved more to the southern sky. So I setup my camera over this small pond which was in the process of freezing over. During the brightest bursts of aurora the ground turned green. Jupiter is seen in the center of the photo and reflected on the ice.
    Jovian Ice
  • I thought my chances of seeing muskox in Kangerlussuaq were low, especially after seeing none on the ice sheet tour the week before. But I found a small herd of 7 grazing just east of Black Ridge.
    Muskox In the Willows
  • Shortly before sunset, crepuscular rays danced over the sea dotted with icebergs.
    Icebergs and Rays
  • Almost as soon as I started shooting a time lapse of this view, it disappeared into the fog. Kingittorsuaq is a 3,885' mountain above Kobbefjord.
    Before Losing the View
  • Kingittorsuaq is a 3,885' mountain southeast of Nuuk. This is the view from the summit of Store Malene.
    Kingittorsuaq
  • The aurora was so bright that it made the mountains, snow, ice, and everything else turn green.
    When the Ground Turned Green
  • A small iceberg floats in a small bay. Sermitsiaq Mountain was catching the first light of the day behind it.
    Sermitsiaq Iceberg
  • A snowshoe hare forages outside of Kangerlussuaq.
    Snowshoe Hare
  • The aurora dances above an iceberg stranded on the beach at low tide.
    Ice and Tidepool
  • There was so much ice on this beach I couldn't even walk across it. Days earlier it was hard to find even a single iceberg in the area. According to a local guide, heavy rain from a remnant hurricane caused increased calving of the Greenland Ice Sheet weeks earlier. A shift in the wind brought the ice towards Nuuk all at once.
    Crowded Beach
  • Darkness could not come soon enough. Reports of the northern lights were coming in from across the eastern US. Standing on a cliff nearly 1,000 feet above Meadowlark Lake, this was a spot I’d been wanting to spend the night for a long time. The highest peaks of the Bighorn Mountains stood to the north, including Cloud Peak dead center. Aurora chasing mostly involves a whole lot of waiting. Waiting for the right space weather forecast, clear skies, moon phase, and for the sun to go down. Even when conditions seem perfect the aurora can come and go at the drop of a hat. When darkness arrived, so did the clouds, along with a brief rain shower. When the clouds faded, so did the northern lights. But finally just before 1AM the glow returned. A substorm sent red and purple pillars halfway to the North Star, reflected in the water far below. It did not last long before the moon rose and drowned out the lights. Even though the display wasn’t as good as it could have been, moments like this are always worth staying up for.
    Midnight at Meadowlark
  • Every clear night between December and April, Orion has a close encounter with Devils Tower just before it sets. It was a shot I've had in mind for awhile, but I waited until March to pay a visit so I could capture it at a more reasonable time and temperature. Beneath the 3 belt stars is found Orion's Sword. It also goes by the name Messier 42, NGC1976, or simply the Orion Nebula. As the brightest nebula in northern hemisphere skies, it is easily seen with the naked eye away from light pollution. Larger in angular size than the moon, it looks spectacular in even a small telescope. If you zoom in to the belt star of Alnitak (pierced by a satellite trail), the Flame Nebula is on the left, with the Horsehead located below. Between finding the right overlook, aligning the star tracking mount, shooting dozens of long exposures, and hours of editing, “deepscape” photos like this are always more complex than any other type I create. But I love showing a commonly photographed landmark in an uncommon way. When thin clouds started to roll in I almost stopped shooting, but I ended up liking the halo effect.
    Orion Close Encounter
  • Sermitsiaq is a prominent mountain visible from Nuuk. But the only way to see the glacier and waterfall is by taking a boat tour to the other side of the island.
    Glacier Island Falls
  • Nuuk, Greenland's capital and largest city is seen from the side of a mountain. The newest neighborhood, Quinngorput is at the bottom. The airport is seen on the right, which is currently being expanded to allow for more direct flights.
    Nuuk and Qinngorput
  • Icebergs float out towards the open sea near Nuuk just before sunset.
    Dotted With Icebergs
  • My 9-hour flight home was one of the most scenic I’ve ever been on. Taking off from Helsinki at sunset, we chased the sun westward. Meanwhile the full moon emerged to the east and followed the plane. In a state of perpetual twilight, the light remained the same for hours. The moon neither rose nor set and it felt like time was standing still. At the top of the world, just 250 miles from the North Pole, the scene was most striking. 7 miles below was Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest national park. The ice sheet emptied out into the Arctic Ocean between pristine snowy mountains. Moonlight shimmered across fresh sea ice, fractured by undersea currents. The moon was directly in the middle of what’s called the anti-twilight arch. The pink band above is the layer of atmosphere where the sun was still shining, reddened by the backscattering of sunlight. The blue band is Earth’s shadow projected out into the atmosphere. In mid-October the sun sets for good in this part of the high Arctic, not to rise again for more than 4 months.
    When Time Stood Still
  • Greenland is the only place I've been able to drink straight from a stream without regretting it. The water is some of the purest on the planet.
    Purest Water On Earth
  • Just because Greenland doesn’t have trees, doesn’t mean it lacks fall colors. Shrubs and bushes burst with shades of red, orange, and gold. Juicy berries grow among the abundant green moss covering the ground. The first week of October was a bit past the peak, but I found the best remaining colors in a place called Paradise Valley. With numerous waterfalls, snowy peaks, lakes, and views of iceberg-strewn beaches, it’s a spot that certainly lived up to its name. The dark, moody weather was perfect for trying out longer exposures on the falls to give it the milky look. The water in Greenland is some of the purest on the planet. Fed by glaciers and snowmelt, one can drink directly from most streams with no consequences.
    Red Foliage Falls
  • This was the lowest of the falls in Paradise Valley before the stream flowed into the fjord.
    Falls to the Fjord
  • This was the biggest iceberg I saw while in Greenland, on the north side of Sermitsiaq Island.
    Big Blue Iceberg
  • I nearly gave up on seeing the aurora this night but I'm glad I didn't. The thick clouds parted for a brief time to the west as the northern lights brightened. One iceberg was stranded on the rocks while hundreds of others floated past in a blur.
    Primarily Purple
  • Icebergs drift past the many islands south of Nuuk.
    Among the Islands
  • The aurora dances over Nuuk Fjord as seen from Lille Malene (Quassussuaq).
    From Heaven Down
  • The sun had not even been down an hour yet when the first green curtains overspread the blue twilight sky. Why am I not on the summit already? As I hoofed it up a mountain in Greenland, I barely needed my headlamp as the lights above illuminated my way. Route finding can be tricky at night, but I had scouted out this peak the previous day so I knew where to go. Finally I reached the top, and all body heat generated from the strenuous climb was quickly stolen by the icy wind. Below stretched out the Nuuk Fjord, 2nd longest fjord system in the world. Rising nearly 4,000 feet above the sea is Sermitsiaq, the iconic island peak which dominates the skyline of Greenland's capital city. While Mars cast its reflection across the water, ribbons of green, purple, and red shimmered overhead. Oddly the northern lights seemed to prefer every part of the sky except north. For hours the show continued, in waves of varying intensity. It was a night I'll never forget.
    Nuuk Fjord Aurora
  • The aurora dances between the lingering twilight and the city lights of Nuuk. This view is from the top of Lille Malene (or Quassussuaq).
    The Lights of Nuuk
  • Though Greenland doesn't have trees, there was still some fall foliage in the bushes and shrubs. This was next to Cirkus Lake.
    Cirkus Lake Foliage
  • Myggedalen is probably the most iconic view in Nuuk. The colorful houses are part of the Old Town, and Sermitsiaq Mountain features prominently in the background.
    Colorful Nuuk
  • Even though visibility was poor and much of the ice was hidden under a fresh layer of snow, it was still pretty cool to visit the Greenland Ice Sheet. Covering 80% of the world's largest island, it is 2nd in size only to the Antarctic Ice Sheet. At a thickness of up to 1,600 meters, 8% of the world's freshwater is contained in the Greenland Ice Sheet.
    Greenland Ice Sheet
  • Muskox are much easier to spot after a fresh snowfall. A week earlier they blended in with the landscape more.
    Morning Muskox
  • Not every lunar eclipse is the same. Each one varies depending on which part of Earth’s shadow (called the umbra) that the moon passes through. Atmospheric conditions on Earth also influence the view. Lingering exhaust from the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga in January helped make this eclipse darker and redder than usual. In Wyoming, totality started during twilight. The extra light revealed more details in the landscape. Then after twilight ended, thousands of stars came out, along with stripes of green airglow. A dark sky and a full moon, normally enemies of each other, were seen together for just a few minutes before normal moonlight returned.<br />
While the lower slopes of the Bighorn Mountains are now a vibrant green, up here at Powder River Pass, winter is still hanging on. Nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, temperatures still drop below freezing at night even in mid-May.
    Blood Moon In A Dark Sky
  • While the world may be chaotic and unpredictable, there's something reassuring about being out under the stars. When I look up I'm gazing at the same constellations that humans have marveled at for thousands of years. Their steady motion brings a sense of order, knowing exactly which stars will be where each night. In a 24 hour period, a star's position in Earth's sky will change by 4 minutes (known as a sidereal day). It makes planning shots like this over the Bighorn Mountains easy. No constellation is more widely visible around the world than Orion. And it's much more than just a belt and shield. A long exposure reveals faint details and colors that the naked eye could never see. Nebulas like Barnard's Loop, the Flame, Horsehead, Seagull, and Rosette are all hiding in plain sight, in wavelengths of light beyond human vision. All these wonders of space were never known until someone invented cameras sensitive enough to see them.
    Orion Beyond the Bighorns
  • With just a few hours left in Greenland, I had time for one more hike before my flight. So I went to Lake Ferguson at sunrise. Though devoid of color, it was a beautiful snowy morning. At the lake it was dead quiet, but I could feel someone watching me. That was when I turned around to see this lone muskox. While muskoxen have always inhabited the northern shores of the world's largest island, this population was reintroduced. The vegetation in Southwest Greenland is lush in comparison to the northern tundra, and muskoxen don't have to worry about polar bears which are rare here. That's enabled them to thrive from 27 individuals in the 1960's to more than 10,000 today. When Kangerlussuaq was still a US Air Force Base, it wasn't unusual to have to prod a muskox off the runway. Though similar in appearance to the bison, muskoxen are a bit smaller with much thicker coats that keep them warm during the long, harsh Arctic winters. They don't typically lose their horns so I'm not sure how this bull managed to break his.
    Arctic Beast
  • This was the tallest waterfall in Paradise Valley  east of Nuuk.
    Falls of Paradise Valley
  • After a wet morning, the clouds parted to reveal the snow higher up. It was perfectly calm at this pond and the water was like a mirror.
    Revealing the Snow
  • With a name like Paradise Valley, my expectations were high for this hike. The scenery did not disappoint with views of the fjord, waterfalls, and amazing fall colors. No trees needed.
    Mixed With Moss
  • I nearly gave up on seeing the aurora this night but I'm glad I didn't. The thick clouds parted for a brief time to the west as the northern lights brightened. One iceberg was stranded on the rocks while hundreds of others floated past in a blur.
    Lights of a Rising Tide
  • Icebergs fill up the fjord below Qingaq Mountain, as seen from the summit of Ukkusissat Mountain.
    Icebergs of Qingaq
  • Kobbefjord is a small fjord just east of Nuuk. The best way to see it is by climbing the 2,533' mountain called Store Malene (or Ukkusissat). It was perfectly sunny when I reached the summit. But it didn't take long before visibility was zero because the weather changes very fast in Greenland.
    Overlooking Kobbefjord
  • The Nuuk Fjord contains many dramatic pointy mountains that rise up to 5,000 feet out of the sea. They were especially beautiful at sunrise.
    Sunrise Over Qingaq
  • Crepuscular rays shine on the islands of the Labrador Sea off the coast of Nuuk.
    Islands of the Labrador Sea
  • After dropping off my bag at the airport I walked back to the Watson River one more time. The sun had finally come out and the light was beautiful. The view made it hard to leave Greenland.
    Sun Over Watson River
  • On my last morning in Greenland I woke up early and walked to Lake Ferguson at sunrise. There was no color in the sky at all but it was still a beautiful, calm morning.
    Lake Ferguson
  • It was amazing watching the aurora reflected in both the icebergs and the calm tidepool.
    Tip of the Iceberg
  • As son as it got dark, the core of the Milky Way galaxy was centered directly behind Devils Tower.
    Galactic Monolith
  • Just before midnight the crescent moon rose east of Devils Tower. Smoke or haze near the horizon gave the moon an orange color.
    Tower Moonrise
  • From comets, to lightning, northern lights, and meteors, I've amassed a collection of photos of one of my favorite local mountains at night. But I lacked a moonshot. The 7,877 foot peak named Steamboat Point is topped with dramatic cliffs of dolomite. You can't tell from this distance but the boulders below the cliff face are bigger than houses. Because of the position of the viewpoints, a full moon can only be seen rising over the mountain in the winter months. Unlike the sun, a full moon rises north of due east in the winter. In January it is called the Wolf Moon. While wolves do not currently live in the Bighorn Mountains, they have been seen before. The snow conditions at this elevation were highly variable with lots of bare ground as well as big snow drifts. After lining up my shot the moon failed to appear on time because a cloud hid the horizon. But after waiting and repositioning at the last minute, the moon briefly passed through a small gap in the clouds.
    Steamboat Moonrise
  • Icebergs float down Nuuk Fjord at sunset.
    Icebergs at Sunset
  • With a name like Paradise Valley, my expectations were high for this hike. The scenery did not disappoint with views of the fjord, waterfalls, and amazing fall colors. No trees needed.
    Last of the Yellows
  • Sermitsiaq Mountain is reflected in the iceberg-filled waters of Nuuk Fjord.
    Sermitsiaq Island
  • While climbing Store Malene (Ukkusissat) there wasn't a cloud in the sky. But that soon changed as clouds came out of nowhere and the ceiling dropped. The lighting on Cirkus Lake and Nuuk Fjord was amazing white it lasted.
    Low Cloud Ceiling
  • The top of Lille Malene (Quassussuaq), had an amazing view of Nuuk Fjord. The sunlight came out in the evening and touched Sermitsiaq Mountain.
    Sun Over Nuuk Fjord
  • Paved roads were few and far between. Cell phone signal was non-existent. Hills and bluffs sometimes blocked the view. Mosquitoes swarmed around me and stubborn cows formed a roadblock. These are some of the challenges of chasing storms in Montana. Elsewhere crowds of storm chasers may converge on a supercell. But here it’s not uncommon to be the only one on a storm, and I feel an extra responsibility to report what I see to the National Weather Service. When everything comes together just right the supercells here can be truly incredible. This storm first went up over the Crazy Mountains before tracking east along the Musselshell River, into a part of Big Sky Country I’d never been. It was one of the roundest, most obviously rotating supercells I've ever seen. Evening sunlight snuck in underneath to turn the hail shaft gold. Just when the storm was at its most photogenic I came upon this scene of an abandoned house on the open prairie. It was exactly what I was looking for.
    Melstone Supercell
  • After clouds moved in and hid the views from the summit of Store Malene (Ukkusissat), I started heading down. Halfway down I came across this ice pattern when the sun came back out.
    Mountainside Ice
  • Icebergs can be many different colors. Blue ice is older, more compressed, and heavier compared to white ice.
    Clear Blue Ice
  • The last climbers repelled down the south face of Devils Tower soon after twilight faded. First Perseus rose to the northeast, followed by Arcturus, the 4th brightest star in the sky. Satellites slowly came and went while meteors vaporized at a much faster speed. The aurora painted its colors on an invisible canvas,  undetectable to my eye for the most part. One glow soon replaced another when the crescent moon rose at midnight. In many previous visits I’ve scouted all over the national monument looking for the best vantage points. This patch of prairie that I marked on my map is barely within the park boundary. Dodging deadfall, making my way across a steep slope and up and over a cliff is hard enough during the day, doubly so at night. I kept waiting for a big aurora display to give me a reason to come back here. That never happened, despite the forecast. But even an ordinary night is worth experiencing at an extraordinary place like this. Those who only visit Devils Tower during the day miss out on half the scenery.
    More Than a Meteor
  • Not every lunar eclipse is the same. Each one varies depending on which part of Earth’s shadow (called the umbra) that the moon passes through. Atmospheric conditions on Earth also influence the view. Lingering exhaust from the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga in January helped make this eclipse darker and redder than usual. In Wyoming, totality started during twilight. The extra light revealed more details in the landscape. Then after twilight ended, thousands of stars came out, along with stripes of green airglow. A dark sky and a full moon, normally enemies of each other, were seen together for just a few minutes before normal moonlight returned.<br />
While the lower slopes of the Bighorn Mountains are now a vibrant green, up here at Powder River Pass, winter is still hanging on. Nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, temperatures still drop below freezing at night even in mid-May.
    Powder River Pass Eclipse
  • Every tidal cycle brought something different. An endless stream of icebergs floated down the fjord, stranding themselves in this small bay when the tide turned.  Earlier that morning there were so many pieces of ice that I couldn’t even walk across this beach. But by nightfall most were carried away and only a few remained. It was my last night in Nuuk and the forecast called for 80% clouds. I just had to wait for that 20% gap. Geomagnetic activity wasn’t particularly high either, but this far north it doesn’t take much. Greenland is located under the auroral oval, where shows like this may happen any time the sky is clear and dark enough. When fringes of purple or pink line the swirls of aurora, it’s often associated with bright, rapid movement. A still image doesn't even begin to show all that's happening in the sky. Rays of light pulse inward from every direction, converging overhead at the zenith. It’s mesmerizing to watch and hard to look away from, though part of me wished I had a second camera with me to capture it all.
    Energetic Swirls
  • There is a lot happening at the local pond at 2AM. This image shows the stars apparent movement in 45 minutes time. The aurora glowed to the north in hues of red and green. Meteors burned up in the atmosphere. Satellites and airplanes  flew past. It was far from quiet with flapping waterfowl, croaking frogs, and a splashing beaver. Startrail reflections are like mini seismographs, recording ripples in the water. With no wind, all the disturbances are from the beaver splashing.
    Beaver Pond Startrails
  • All was quiet at 3AM in the pleasantly cool air. It felt like I was the only one awake. I was at my ‘lazy’ aurora watching spot, where I go when I don’t feel like driving far. For hours, a southward-oriented solar wind stream had been pouring energy into Earth's magnetic field. It's these conditions that eventually lead to a geomagnetic storm. Moonlight, as well as smoke from a new forest fire were conspiring to hide the glow. But after waiting for a bit the northern sky finally broke out into pillars. The colors could not be seen with the eye but the greens, reds, and purples showed up well on camera. Just when I was about to leave I heard the train horn. The crossing gate went down and soon I could feel the rumble and wind as the train cars rushed past me. I’ve never captured a moving train at night, but this was the perfect time to try. The empty train was heading north to pick up a load of coal from the mines. It turns out I wasn’t the only one awake.
    Northbound Train