Stilfser Joch, Umbrail Pass and Gavia Pass – Daytime Impressions

Being back home from a tour, I´m mostly searching through the nighttime images I took back then and process them. Which doesn´t mean I leave out the daytime images – they just come later. Over the time I have learned to take the advantage of a shot when it arises, no matter what, even I don´t arrive at my designated destination in time. So here are some daytime impressions from my recent trip to South Tyrol, Switzerland and Italy! Enjoy!

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Watering of the fertile grounds of Vinschgau valley, South Tyrol…

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Vinschgau valley, South Tyrol…

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Road to Stilfser Joch, South Tyrol…

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Going downhill, Stilfser Joch, South Tyrol…

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Lago Scale, Italy…

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Passo Tonale, Italy…

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Umbrail Pass, Switzerland…

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Road sign, Italian style, Stilfser Joch, Italy…

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Torri di Fraele, Italy…

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Gavia Pass, Italy…

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Lago di Cancano, Italy…

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Chasing Comet Neowise, July 18th-21st

I got two days off from work so I packed my stuff and went to South Tyrol, Switzerland and Italy on Saturday, to travel to some high alpine passes I always wanted to see but haven´t been able to in the past. Stilfser Joch, Umbrail Pass and Gavia Pass were the chosen ones, all of them ranking between 2500 – 2800 m. The first night was a blast; the sky cleared up and comet Neowise was easily visible to the northwest, while the Milkyway was towering in the south. Around 4:00 am, the last crescent Moon before New Moon rose to the east, with Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter wandering along the ecliptic. The impressions of those nights are almost not bearable, and since I´m traveling on my own, there is no one to talk to about feelings and emotions. Very intense nights. From crystal clear skies to sheet lightning, I got it all, not to forget the stunning scenery during day time. So here are just my favorite comet images from those three nights and hopefully I will be able to process/stack a set of single frames of Neowise from the first night. Enjoy!

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The sky cleared up on the first night, Stilfser Joch, 2757m, South Tyrol…

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Comet gazing…

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Colorful comet Neowise…

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What a beauty, 81 sec., 200 mm, Polarie…

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Neowise to the left, Venus, Hyades and Pleiades to the right…

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Fading away during nautical twilight…

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Lots of airglow around on the second night, Umbrail Pass, 2501 m, Switzerland…

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Neowise hiding behing 3000 m mountains, just showing its tail, surrounded by airglow, Gavia Pass, 2621 m, Italy…

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but finally showed up during nautical twilight, making one last impression…

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My Favorite Images Of 2019

Here are my favorite photos, taken 2019. Head over to Jim Goldstein´s site, to take part in his annual blog project ( https://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2019/12/16/blog-project-your-best-photos-from-2019/ ). Cheers and have a good one in 2020!

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Total eclipse of the Moon, 21st of Jan. 2019, seen from my home @ Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Telescope shot from the eclipse, with a SC 8″ and a Canon 5d3, full size, no crop…

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The beauty of the winter night sky, feat. Orion with its deep sky objects, taken @ Simplon Pass, 2005m, Switzerland…

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Lenticular clouds at sunset @ Bernina Pass, 2328m, Switzerland…

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One of the most beautiful sunrises in the Alps I`ve ever seen @ Bernina Pass, 2328m, Switzerland…

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Majestic Dolomites and Dürrensteinhütte @ Plätzwiese, South Tyrol…

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The Milky Way in all its glory along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, 2571m, Austria…

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Mosaic of the partial eclipse of the Moon, seen from my home, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Misty morning @ Lago di Vajont, Italy…

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Like out of a fairy tale, but just an hour´s drive away from my home…crescent Moon setting over castle Haag, Upper Bavaria, Germany…

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A feathered critter at the lower left watching the setting Moon – seen from my living room, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Fog creating some mystical mood @ Timmelsjoch, 2474m, Austria/Italy…

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Road Trip To Italy and Switzerland

Some impressions from my latest road trip to Italy and Switzerland, late February 2019. Lots of snow around, but uncommonly warm at this time of the year…Enjoy!

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Setting Moon over the Lechtaler Alpen, Tyrol, Austria…

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Anti-tank obstacles from WW2, covered in 1.5 m of snow, Plamort, South Tyrol, Italy…

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Eerie looking halo covering the half Moon, early morning @ Ofen Pass, Switzerland…

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Lenticular clouds at sunset over Bernina Pass, Switzerland…

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Pre-dawn with the rising crescent Moon, Venus and Jupiter, Bernina Pass, Switzerland…

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Magical light @ Bernina Pass, Switzerland…

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Railroad through the city of Tirano, Italy…

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Paintings at a public well, Tirano, Italy…

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Somewhere around Lago di Como, Italy…

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Simplon Adler (Monument), Simplon Pass, Switzerland…

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Stargazing @ Simplon Pass, Switzerland…notice the bright light to the right…

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…the so-called Zodiac Light, pointing towards the Pleiades and engulfing Mars and Uranus…

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Lots of high-alpine roads in Switzerland are closed during winter times…

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Along the Simplon Pass route…

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Ganter bridge and Bortelhorn (center), 3193 m, Switzerland…

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Second night @ Simplon Pass, with Orion straight ahead…

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Pre-dawn @ Simplon Pass, Switzerland…

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Winter´s magic @ Simplon Pass, Switzerland

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Verbania @ Lago Maggiore, Italy, with the snow-capped suisse Alps in the distance, where I just got down from…

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Lago Maggiore, seen from Villa Giulia, Verbania, Italy…

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Orion At Simplon Pass, Switzerland

Just a quick impression from last weeks tour to Simplon Pass, Switzerland. Two nights in a row with clear skies and moderate temperatures at an elevation of 2005 m – what more to ask for. Images are shot with a modified Canon 1100 D with a Sigma 1.8/20mm lens on a Vixen Polarie. Enjoy!

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One of the single shots for the stars straight out of the camera, 240 sec./f 2.5…

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A single shot with the Polarie turned off to get a clear shot for the foreground, 240 sec./f2.5, already processed…

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Stacked images, with PixInsight, a total of 76 min…

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Final image: foreground and background image combined, with the constellation of Orion in all its glory and the Rauthorn, 3268 m, to the left…

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My Favorite Images Of 2018

Though I have been to a lot of countries in 2018, some of my favorite shots happened just around the corner of my home turf (Lower Bavaria, Germany). Narrowing down some +10k images into a set of 12 takes some time, but showing them off in a community with like-minded photographers is more than rewarding. If you want to be a part of it too, head over to: https://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2018/12/16/blog-project-photos-2018/ and say Hi to Jim Goldstein, who is putting up this project every year. Enjoy!

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Solitude @ Ofenpass, Suisse Alps, Switzerland…

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Mercury (bottom) and Venus (center left) being watched, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Good Friday´s Full Moon rising, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Along the Isar River, Upper Bavaria, Germany…

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Pano of 26 single shots taken with a 8″ Meade telescope and a 24mm Hyperion eyepiece, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Total eclipse of the Moon, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Stargazing with my teenage daughter at my brothers farmland, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Colle del Nivolet, 2612 m, Italy…

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Pano of 20 single images, Little St Bernard Pass, 2188 m, looking towards France…

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On top of Mont Chaberton, 3131 m, France…

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Crescent Moon and the hopfields of the Hallertau, Lower Bavaria, Germany…

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Camp under the stars with my grown-up sons, Theth National Park, Albania…

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Moonscapes Of Jan., Febr., March 2018

Here is a collection of my favorite moonscapes from 2018 so far. Enjoy!

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Starting 2018 with fireworks and a lunar halo @ 00:00:01am…

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Airliner crossing the Moon, 01|01|2018…

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Telescope imaging, 01|01|2018…

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Rising Moon above Mieminger Kette, Tyrol, Austria,  01|29|2018…

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Moon above Sonnenspitze, 2417 m, Tyrol, Austria, 01|29|2018…

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Telescope image of the full Moon, Tyrol, Austria, 01|29|2018…

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On the way back through a moonlit night, Tyrol, Austria, 01|29|2018…

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Rising full Moon @ Ofenpass, Switzerland, 01|30|2018…

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Enjoying the show @ Ofenpass, Switzerland, 01|30|2018…

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Setting full Moon @ Ofenpass, Switzerland, 01|31|2018…

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Setting crescent Moon @ my backyard, Lower Bavaria, Germany, 02|18|2018…

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Lunar halo, Lower Bavaria, Germany, 02|26|2018…

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Waning gibbous Moon, seen from my porch, 03|08|2018…

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Setting crescent Moon, along with Venus and Mercury @ Hirschaid, Upper Franconia, 03|19|2018…

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Crescent Moon @ nautical twilight, while Venus and Mercury are covered by clouds, Hallertau, Lower Bavaria, Germany, 03|21|2018…

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Full Moon rising on Good Friday @ my backyard, Hallertau, Lower Bavaria, Germany, 03/30/2018…

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Good Friday´s full Moon in all its glory, 03|30|2018…

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