Ross Cunniff

This afternoon, May 25, 2022, the Boeing Starliner capsule re-entered the atmosphere after its successful mission docking with the International Space Station for the first time. It landed at White Sands, New Mexico. On its way down, it passed directly over Las Cruces, NM: A security camera at my parents' house in Las Cruces, NM captured the double sonic boom. It is about 11 seconds in to this video: Thanks to my brother for thinking of this!

Last night was a total lunar eclipse. Notably, the partial phase started shortly after moonrise here in Fort Collins, so the moon was fairly low in the sky for most of the eclipse. This means it was a good opportunity to get a composite photo of the lunar eclipse with the city lights of Fort Collins in the foreground. Some messing about with Google Maps yielded the top of the trail at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area as the best spot. I drew a map showing the field-of-view of my chosen equipment: The red lines show the azimuth of the moon at the beginning and ending of the eclipse, and the green triangle shows the field-of-view of the camera when placed in portrait orientation. I submitted a request for permission to stay on the natural area property after hours. With permission in hand, I packed up my bag. 2 cameras and lenses, a computer, spare batteries, and two tripods. 27 pounds worth: I also schlepped up to the top of the trail with a folding chair and small folding table. Other equi...