El Capitan and the Big Dipper, May 2018, Yosemite National Park, California

A shot of El Capitan with the Big Dipper in the night sky.  El Cap is lit up by a nearly full moon.  Bob and Rick were camped at Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley in May 2018 when they decided to take a drive around the Valley enjoying seeing the key landmarks lit up by the nearly full moon.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

El Capitan and the Big Dipper by moonlight, May 2018

 Bob was looking through his photos when he happened upon this photo that he took of El Capitan by moonlight.  The Big Dipper is in the upper left of the image.  He took this picture in May 2018.

El Capitan is one of the largest granite cliffs in the world and is a draw for rock climbers from around the world.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Moonbow in Lower Yosemite Falls and Big Dipper, Yosemite National Park, May 25, 2021

 

This is a photo of a moonbow, or lunar rainbow, in the mist of Lower Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park.  Bob took this shot on the night of May 25th, 2021.  The park was conducting prescribed burns in Yosemite Valley, so he was concerned that the smoke would diminish the moonlight enough that the moonbow wouldn't show up.  Fortunately the smoke dispersed enough that it didn't interfere.   In fact, Bob thinks this was one of the best moon bows he's ever seen, because it persisted through almost the entire predicted window and was a strong and, for the most part, broad arc of light.  In our previous visits to see the moonbow in Lower Yosemite Falls, the moonbow has appeared and disappeared depending on which way the wind was blowing the mist.

Moonbows occur when moonlight strikes the mist of a waterfall or misty rain during a storm at a 42 degree angle from the observer and creates a rainbow just like sunlight can do.  The difference is moonlight is much dimmer and is only bright enough two days before, the night of, and two days after the full moon to create a moonbow.  Also, because moonlight is so much dimmer, the colors of the rainbow don't usually show up to the naked eye.  The human eye sees color with retinal cells called cones, which require a brighter light intensity than the moon provides, in order to be stimulated enough for you to perceive color.  To the naked eye, the moonbow appears as a ghostly white arc of light.  The colors do show up in photos thanks to the longer exposures that cameras provide.

The Big Dipper and other stars are visible in the sky above Lower Yosemite Falls.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Bob, Photographer at Work Doing Night Photography Under the Big Dipper

 Here's Bob working to get night-time photography shots in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. Rick noticed the Big Dipper over his head and asked him to pose for this shot. It was accomplished by making a long exposure to get the stars and briefly flashing a flashlight on Bob's position. We were camped at the Arch Rock Campground.

Focal length 25.0 mm, ISO 1600, shutter speed 1 second, f8

Remember it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Yosemite Falls by moonlight, reflected in Cook Meadow's pool, with the Big Dipper above

This image was taken in June 2011,  when there was still a large pool in Cook Meadow. We tried to get pictures of the moonbow in Yosemite Falls, the lower end, then moved back farther, to the Sentinel parking area, to see if the upper falls showed a moonbow, as well. After getting out of the car, Rick noticed that Yosemite Falls was being reflected in the pool. After spending some more time examining the scene, he noticed that the Big Dipper was just above the falls, as well. This image is the result of 3 images being merged seamlessly together, was lit by moonlight and each image was taken for 30 seconds. You can see the reflection and a little of the bottom of the pool at the same time. It has been cropped to an 11x17 ratio.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!