Two Guns Hearth

A late night Milky Way look at one of the abandoned structures near the petting zoo at Two Guns, Arizona.

Mountain Lion Milky Way

The Summer Milky Way lofts over the abandoned zoo at Two Guns, Arizona.

Night at the Petting Zoo

This midnight visit to the abandoned petting zoo at Two Guns, Arizona features the Summer Milky Way, Saturn and Mars. Mars is the bright orange 'star' on the right side of the image. Saturn is the bright white 'star' to the right of the Milky Way above the bright orange star, Antares. This photo is a blend of three exposures to reduce noise in the sky and combine the best of the lit interior rooms in the structure.

Evergreens Under the Great Rift

The summer Milky Way graces the sky over the forest northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona—24 September 2014. Prints available: https://perezmedia.smugmug.com/Nightscapes/i-Bjt4qxx/A

A Shower of Perseids on Sunset Crater

The 2016 Perseid meteor shower was excellent from dark skies during the early morning of August 12th. This is a composite of several exposures shot over nearly 2 hours between 2:36-4:29AM (0936-1129 UT). There are 48 Perseids—including two spectacular fireballs—and 5 sporadics included in the shot. Each shot has been de-rotated/repositioned to account for Earth's rotation and to align the meteor to the star field that it crossed at the time of the exposure. All but four of the exposures were shot with a Canon T3i/600D and Rokinon 16 mm f/2 at 10 seconds, f/2, ISO 3200. The remaining four were captured by a Canon T3i/600D and Canon EF-S 10-22 mm at 10 seconds, 10 mm, f/3.5, ISO 6400.

Evening moonlight at Sunset Crater

Moonlight illuminates fresh snow at Sunset Crater National Monument while the stars of the Winter Milky Way sparkle overhead.

Stars at Table Mesa Road

Ocotillo and starlight from Table Mesa Road north of Phoenix, AZ.

Flagstaff Lights from Mt. Elden

Looking southwest at central Flagstaff on a windy night at the top of Mt. Elden. The summer Milky Way merges into an illuminated layer of smoke from nearby wildfires. 30 June 2017

Night with Elden's Towers

Starlight and the lights of Flagstaff illuminate transmission towers and fire tower at the summit of Mt. Elden.

Flare over Elden

A satellite flare leaves a trail over the towers at the summit of Mt. Elden. The terrain and sky are illuminated by the lights of Flagstaff below and to the right. 30 June 2017.

Venus at Elden's Crest

Venus rises amid patchy air glow over burned snags at the summit of Mt. Elden. 30 June 2017.

Skull Valley Moonrise

Moonrise from Tonelea Trail near I-17 and Bloody Basin Road — 21 April 2016

Dust and Ice over Wupatki Basin

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) ascends over the moonlit Painted Desert and Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona, USA. This is my favorite road in the state—probably anywhere—and was a delight to share with this fleeting, graceful interloper into the inner solar system. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 9 July 2020 • 3:44 AM MST/1044 GMT Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 lens f/5.6, 4 sec. x 6, ISO 12,800 Stack of 6 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.

Comet over Merriam Crater

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rises above the moonlit landscape around Merriam Crater in northern Arizona, USA. On any given day this cinder cone is perfect—but catching it sharing the horizon with this graceful comet takes it to another level of excellence. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 7 July 2020 • 3:44 AM MST/1044 GMT East of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens f/5, 2 sec. x 6, ISO 6,400 Stack of 6 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.

Visitor over the San Francisco Volcanic Field

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rises above the moonlit landscape of the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona, USA. Several cinder cones can be seen rising above the horizon with Sunset Crater on the far right side. In the foreground, ponderosa snags are all that remain of the forest that used to stand here before the Schultz Fire of 2010. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 8 July 2020 • 3:40 AM MST/1040 GMT Flagstaff, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens f/4, 2 sec. x 5, ISO 12,800 Stack of 5 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.