Utah Astrophotography

05/17/2026

I’ve been meaning to make astrophotography centered software for understanding night photos. A year ago, presenting at the someone challenged me, when discussing the color of space, to make a tool for color blind astrophotographers.
So here it is! SpectraVision!

SpectraVision - science-first astrophotography for everyone.
It runs entirely in your browser. No install, no upload, your photos never leave your device. Load any Milky Way shot and get real scientific data instantly:
• Colour temperature mapped across your sky in Kelvin
• Light pollution identified by source - sodium, LED, mercury, airglow
• Broadcast-grade waveform monitor + 3D vectorscope
• Star count, FWHM focus quality, SQM sky rating
• Plate solving to identify exactly what’s in your shot
• 23 analysis and correction tools total

The CVD tab is the one I’m most proud of. It replaces colour judgment with numbers - Kelvin, R:G:B ratios, live gauges — so colorblind photographers can balance a sky correctly without ever having to trust their eyes.
Supports JPEG, PNG, TIFF (8, 16, and 32-bit float), and RAW files from most major camera brands.
Free. Always.

🔗 utahastrophotography.com - scroll down to featured software and click on the dinosaur for SpectraVision!

LightPollution ColorBlind AstroPhoto UtahAstrophotography

05/17/2026

Six hours of Earth quietly turning above one of Yellowstone’s most surreal geothermal landscapes. The steam from Biscuit Basin drifted through the foreground while the stars circled around Polaris, turning the night sky into a giant natural clock. This photo was taken a few years ago now. Only processed a few days ago for the Nightscaper Conference. Here’s to also trying to post a little more because of the inspiration from the conference!

This image was made from 1-minute sub-exposures shot continuously for about 6 hours, then stacked to create the final star-trail effect.

Sony A7R III🔭 Sony 20mm at f/2.2, ISO 800, 1-minute subs, Total time: ~6 hours

Star trail tips:Use an intervalometer and shoot continuously with almost no gap between frames. Keep your ISO moderate to protect highlights and reduce noise. Frame Polaris if you want circular trails, or aim away from north for sweeping arcs. Bring extra batteries, turn off long-exposure noise reduction, and make sure your tripod is absolutely locked down, six hours gives every tiny mistake plenty of time to show up.

There’s something humbling about watching geology breathe below while the sky records the rotation of the planet above.

07/16/2024

Have you ever wondered what my research is about? Here’s your chance to find out!

Researchers in Utah are combining satellites, hyperspectral imaging and AI to discover mineral deposits in remote locations.

02/03/2024

Hi Friends!
I have decided to set myself a challenge and finish our new website (still www.utahastrophotography.com) by the end of this month 🫠

I also thought it would be ‘fun’ to share a photo a day on here (as I am so bad at posting). So here goes!

Welcome to the gorgeous Messier 27 aka the Dumbbell Nebula! This wee 7.4 V planetary nebula surrounds a white dwarf and is easily visible through binoculars at ~8 arc minutes in diameter. Like any planetary nebula, it contains knots and similar to the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) the cusps of the knots are photoionization fronts!

The data for this image came from our little telescope in Emigration Canyon in combination with data from the Liverpool Telescope in the UK to really resolve central knot features!

I will post the data details in the comments for anyone who is interested!

12/09/2020

For anyone who's interested in my landscape astrophotography setup, here it is broken down! With many thanks to FOTOPRO, Global Elite Photographer and FORNAX (Fervent Astronomy) for their support!

Looking forward to putting this setup through its paces in the desert this weekend!

12/02/2020

One of my favorite places in the USA, coming second only to Yellowstone, is Bryce Canyon. Last year I took a series of different panoramas in the National Park of the galactic core and Milky Way arch. One of the reasons for doing this was that I wanted a series of photos showing the angle of the arch in the nights sky for a class I teach. One of the other reasons is that it gave me an excuse to go to Bryce Canyon three times in a year!

What do the photos show?
1. February when the arch was at its lowest in the sky, visible just before dawn. There is both yellow/orange (sodium) and light airglow pollution in the center of this image which seems to highlight the sandstone pinnacles nicely. Pink/red airglow is visible on the left-hand side, above the 'lone' figure, of the image.
2. June when the arch is visible all night, this was taken around midnight. There is a crazy amount of green (oxygen) airglow in this photo.
3. September when the arch is visible just after dark. This photo has a little of orange, red/pink, and green airglow with the core region heavily dominated by yellow/orange (sodium) airglow. Mars can also be seen rising in the southern skies.

Which is your favorite? And why?

11/28/2020

Excited to be a part of the Fotopro Ambassador & Global Elite Photographer team!

07/14/2020

Excited to share that a couple of my photos from 2019 were shortlisted as a part of the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition!

Discover some of the world’s best space photography from the past year: https://bit.ly/2ZdueWc

07/02/2020

A wide angled panorama in-between the famous Sunrise and Sunset Points at Bryce Canyon National Park. The camera on the left is also mine and running star trail photos! I will post the star trail photo for reference later :)

06/05/2020

Zion! Into the vortex... No matter where you go in Zion there is a beautiful foreground composition. This north facing valley had beautiful sedimentary structures (cross-bedding, hummocky cross stratification, soft sediment deformation, faults, folds and many other geological things!) and oxidized coloration (reds and yellows) in its walls which just seemed to pull out the oranges and yellows of the stars above.

EXIF Camera used was a Nikon Z7, with 24 mm f1.8 Nikon lens. 126 sky images were taken at 60 second intervals with an ISO640 and f2.2. Foreground image 3 minutes with an ISO640 and f1.8.

Edited in Photoshop (stacking, color balance, contrast, star reduction, chromatic aberration) and Lightroom (final touches!)