We repeated our 2023 anniversary / dark skies adventure after Mother Nature vetoed our planned 3-night dark skies camping trip with clouds and thunderstorms near Powderhorn, Colorado (the trip we did the recon trip for in July!). I spent one clear night on Comanche National Grasslands public lands near Springfield, Colorado imaging from (and sleeping in) the Expedition while Paul and Zeus stayed in a hotel in Springfield (because of the 100 degree heat), then we made a quick trip to Albuquerque for a special anniversary dinner at Sal’s Ristorante.
Capture Notes
This image was captured from Springfield, Colorado. Specifically, from Comanche National Grasslands public land on a spot about half a mile south of US Hwy 160 off County Road 24.3. The trip was a hybrid dark skies (staying in a hotel in Springfield because of the 100 degree heat) and an anniversary trip to Albuquerque for dinner at dinner at Sal’s – exactly as we did in 2023.
On the DSO front, I’d originally planned to capture a new DSO target – B144 Fish on a Platter – but when we got to Springfield in the early afternoon and checked out the imaging spot, I was reminded of the windmill adjacent to where I was imaging. I decided I would save the Fish for another time (it seemed as if it was going to set right into the windmill) and spend the night imaging IC1396 Elephant Trunk. I had imaged IC1396 from this same spot in 2023, but during that trip I had forgotten to bring the correct attachment ring for my autoguider, so I didn’t feel like I captured the best data that night. I’d forgotten that I’d also captured the Elephant Trunk during our October 2024 trip to Comanche National Grasslands! If you’re interested, you can see all the versions of my inadvertent “new favorite late summer target” at: https://beersastrophotography.com/gallery/ic1396-elephant-trunk-nebula/
But, I digress… After I got the Southern Cross going on the IC1396 Elephant Trunk Nebula I set up the Canon EOS Ra with the Sigma 14mm lens on a tripod to capture the Milky Way.
Equipment
Imaging stream: Canon EOS Ra. Sigma 14mm 1:1.8 DG lens, manual focus, f2.0.
Sequence Control: Pixel Pro TW-283 N3 Wireless Shutter Remote Control Timer and Shutter Release
Capture & Processing
Sequence plan: Total capture: ISO 1600, f2.0, 270 x 15sec. Captured 21Aug2025, 21:01 – 22:34MDT. Total exposure time: 67.5 minutes. This image: “Frame 2” is comprised of the images captured during the second half of the imaging session after I reframed the Milky Way within the field of view. ISO 1600, f2.0, 135 x 15sec. Captured 21Aug2025, 21:49 – 22:34MDT. Total exposure time: 33.75 minutes.
Capture: 21 August 2025
Shooting location: Comanche National Grasslands, CR24.3 Springfield, Colorado
Processing: Stacked all the captured images using Sequator (All, Frame1, Frame2 – this image is Frame2). Created a STARLESS version using Starnet++. Processed STARLESS in LR (using AW presets and custom mask actions). Used PS to bring the STARS and STARLESS back together.