AstroLandscapes #69 - NLCs from the Highlands

[FenlandPaul]

A couple of weeks ago I visited my brother up in middle of the Cairngorms in Scotland for a week of scenery-change, walking and, I hoped, some clear skies and noctilucent clouds.  12 months earlier I'd been thwarted in the same part of the world when we took home nothing but "normal" cloud timelapses, and so far this season I'd drawn a complete blank.  So my hopes were high (even though my expectations were low!).

The night of 8/9 July was set to be clear after about 10pm, which was promising as in the Highlands it doesn't get even slightly dark until after 11 at this time of year.  Our selected location was Ruthven Barracks, an impressive castle-like structure built atop a motte on the instruction of George I after the Jacobite uprising in 1715.  Today, the barracks is a shell of a building but nonetheless imposing perched above the River Spey near the village of Kingussie.  

As we arrived, I noticed mist starting to roll around in the valley, and soon the first hints of noctilucent clouds began to become visible in north north east, eventually spreading across to the north west.  The display became very bright, although it never reached the altitude of some of the displays I've seen down south.  But this was the first all-night display I've encountered, with no let-up all the way through until we called it a night around 2pm, as the sky was getting visibly lighter.

I made a Nightscape Journal film of the evening, linked below, which contains some of the timelapses of the evening and I've included below two of my favourite images from the night.  Hope you enjoy! 😊

 

📷 Canon 6D with Samyang 135mm f/2 lens

🔧 Sky: 1x 0.5s exposure at ISO800 and f/2.8  Foreground: 1x 5s exposure at ISO800 and f/4

🎞️ Edited and blended in Photoshop

 

 

📷 Canon 6D with Sigma Art 24mm f/1.4 lens

🔧 1x 0.5s exposure at ISO800 and f/2.8  

🎞️ Edited in Photoshop

 

 

[FenlandPaul]

And if you don't want to watch the whole film, here's a highlight reel of the timelapses from the night (might need a click to start the video!). 🎥
 

 

 

[scotty1]

Very atmospheric , mist and NLCs is a good combo. 

Those lights at 1.30 are they a laser ? 

Edited July 19 by scotty1

[FenlandPaul]

8 hours ago, scotty1 said:

Very atmospheric , mist and NLCs is a good combo. 

Those lights at 1.30 are they a laser ? 

Thanks @scotty1. The green light is actually a drone (my brother mucking about with his).