EarthSky Facebook friend Victor Goodpasture captured this photo at Monument Valley. He wrote:
This is a classic example of taking the extra effort to get the shot. I was the only person at the overlook. From 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., I shot with a variety of exposures and settings. Around 1:10 a.m., the moon rose. This is a 25-minute exposure at f5.6 at ISO 100. Shot with a Canon 5D Mark II using a EF24mm f/1.4L II USM lens. Yes, it was cold but the results were worth it. BTW, because it was cold, it reduced the digital noise that occurs during a long exposure.
Monument Valley, by the way, is located on the Arizona-Utah state line near the Four Corners area, where four states come together (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado). It’s characterized by several large sandstone buttes; the highest reaches about 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the valley floor.
It’s said that when people think of the American West, they think of a landscape like that in Monument Valley.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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