Kevin Palmer

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  • Waves crashed around my feet as I steadied my tripod and counted down until 8:04PM. That's when the International Space Station (ISS) was going to appear. It was a perfect pass, rising straight up over the horizon, before moving overhead and outshining everything else in the sky. The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 250 miles with a speed of 17,000 mph. At a cost of over $150 billion, the ISS is the single most expensive item ever constructed. The space station has been continuously occupied for 19 years by astronauts, who get to experience 16 sunsets and sunrises a day. The ISS is easily visible from Earth when sunlight reflects off of it's massive solar panels. Finding a spot in Orange County, California, that's dark enough to see the milky way is not easy. But at this time of year it's possible to look southwest over the darkest part of the ocean, while the rest of the sky is filled with light pollution and few stars. It took the ISS about 5 minutes to pass through the sky. I combined the satellite trail from 9 images with a single image of the stars to make it clearer.
    Up From the Ocean
  • A colorful sunset fills the sky over the Pacific Ocean. This was taken at Crystal Cove State Park in California during low tide. Many of the tide pools were exposed and hermit crabs, anemones and other sea creatures could be seen. Both low and high tide usually occur twice a day approximately 6 hours apart. During a quarter moon, when the moon is at a right angle with the earth and the sun there is less variation between high and low tides. This is called a neap tide. But when there is a full moon or a new moon the tides are especially high and low. The gravitational force of the sun and the moon combine to generate more of a pull on earth's oceans. This is called a spring tide.
    Reflected Tidepool
  • The crescent moon shines through the colors of sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The seaweed was rising and falling with the waves as they splashed around the rocks. This was taken in Dana Point, California.<br />
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Date Taken: 12/27/11
    Moon Over Tidepools
  • Waves crashed against the cliffs on a falling tide while bats swooped through the salty air. The new moon phase was not only ideal for observing meteor showers, but also caused larger tidal variations. Comet debris periodically burned through the upper atmosphere, sometimes leaving trails for several seconds. As per usual the brightest meteors mostly fell just out of frame, reflecting green on the Pacific Ocean. Located on a wild stretch of the Central California coast, Montaña de Oro State Park has skies dark enough for stargazing, a rarity in the state. At least it did once I walked away from all the stray headlights at the parking areas. All week long the weather had been the same, with clouds coming in at sunset and lingering until late the next morning. But the night the Perseids were supposed to peak, the marine layer finally stayed away. The coastal mountains were only partially shrouded in clouds before a heavy fog bank moved in off the sea at 4AM. While meteor rates weren’t as high as past years, it was still a great show.
    MontaƱa de Oro Perseids
  • I hiked up to Robber's Roost in the Anaheim Hills to watch the sunset. I could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean and Santa Catalina Island.
    Anaheim Sundown
  • The sun sets over a tide pool in Laguna Beach, California. Underneath the water are hermit crabs, sea anemones, and other sea creatures stranded until the waves rise again. I came here at low tide during a full moon, so the tide doesn't get much lower than this. Normally this part of Victoria Beach would be difficult to access as much of it would be underwater. Both low and high tide occur twice a day approximately 6 hours apart. During a full moon or a new moon the tides are especially high and low. The gravitational force of the sun and the moon combine to generate more of a pull on earth's oceans. This is called a spring tide. But during a quarter moon, the moon is at a right angle with the earth and the sun and there is less variation between high and low tides. This is called a neap tide.
    Laguna Tidepool Reflection
  • A fiery sunset fills the sky above Laguna Beach, California.
    Laguna Beach Sunset
  • This was one of those sunsets where it felt like nature went a little crazy with the saturation slider. But the sky really was this colorful. Rain showers passed through Morro Bay earlier in the evening, clearing just in time to let in the incredible light. I went to the top of Black Hill, which overlooks the town of Morro Bay.
    Morro Rock Sunset
  • The sun sets over tidepools at Laguna Beach. I came here at low tide during a full moon, so the tide doesn't get much lower than this. Normally this part of Victoria Beach would be difficult to access as much of it would be underwater.
    Victoria Beach Sunset
  • A wave crashes against a rock as the clouds in the west start to light up at Crystal Cove State Park.
    Crashing Sunset
  • I came to Laguna Beach to photograph the milky way. But the marine layer had other plans and only a few stars were visible in between clouds.
    Hole in the Sky
  • This was my first time seeing a fallstreak (or hole punch) cloud. It had a tail that it made it look like a sting ray. It appeared for a short time above the bluffs at Crystal Cove State Park.
    Crystal Cove Fallstreak
  • The beaches of Olympic National Park in northwest Washington are a special place. There are few stretches of coastline in the US that are this wild and undeveloped. Sea stacks dot the shoreline, some with trees growing on them. Many of the sea stacks are cut off at high tide, but can be reached at low tide. I spent the night on this beach, pitching my tent on the sand above the high-tide mark. Thick forests grow in the area, and rivers carry fallen trees out to sea. This leads to big piles of logs that have to be climbed over to reach most of the beaches. The sun didn't really set this evening. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the red sun disappeared early into the thick smoke. The next morning it felt like I woke up on a different beach since the marine layer came in and the fog hid all the sea stacks from view.
    Sea Stack Sunset
  • For most of the day clouds, fog, and snow showers hid the sun. I was not expecting to see any color at sunset. But this overlook of the Snake River in eastern Idaho was spectacular enough that I had to wait it out just in case. The sky did not disappoint. Even though this view is looking east, the sun’s rays snuck in through a gap in the clouds to paint the entire sky orange and pink. Sometimes the best sunset is the one that almost doesn't happen. <br />
The Snake River begins on the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park. It flows more than 1,000 miles before connecting to the Columbia River in Washington. Together they form the longest river in North America that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Here the river flows beside the Big Hole Mountains in the Swan Valley. Farther west it winds its way through the much flatter Snake River Plain. Then on the opposite side of the state it carves a gorge deeper than the Grand Canyon. The pause in the weather was brief. An additional foot of snow would fall in these mountains overnight.
    Sunset Over the Snake
  • The last sunlight of the day shines on Mount Sublette high in the Absaroka Mountains. This peak is located directly on the continental divide which separates the drainage basins of the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Togwotee Pass at nearly 10,000 feet is known for frequent sightings of grizzly bears. But by this time of year they had long since been in hibernation. The 4.5 feet of snow made it challenging to take pictures. The center column on my tripod broke after I tried pushing it all the way down into into the snow, which was an expensive mistake.
    Sublette Alpenglow