An evening with Pan-STARRS

Pan-STARRS sailing through the night sky

near Pelly Crossing, Yukon

Comet Pan-STARRS continues to quietly sail across the evening sky as she makes her way to the far reaches of our solar system.  Last night, the sky over Pelly was crisp and clear; ideal for an intimate photo shoot with this month's celestial treat. 

  

I spent close to an hour photographing Pan-STARRS against a foreground of black spruce and birch trees.  The temperature had started to drop and a slight breeze signalled it was time to return home.  As luck would have it, Betsy, the car I borrowed from a friend, wouldn't start.  Thankfully a group of guys from Fort McPherson, NWT, drove by offered to bring me back to Pelly.   They were on their way to Whitehorse to participate in this weekend's Native Hockey Tournament.  Thanks guys!  It would have been a very long and chilly night otherwise.  

The local RCMP and I returned to the car this morning, gave Betsy a boost and drove her home.  Lesson learned - always carry a sleeping bag, emergency food, a candle and warm clothing.

Last night's images were taken with the Nikon D800 and Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens.  Camera was set to ISO800, f/3.5 and 5 sec exposure.  Images were taken between 10:15 to 11:00 pm.

The days are certainly getting longer in the north.  Now, if only the temperatures would warm up.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

Comet Pan-STARRS

Comet Pan-STARRS as seen near Pelly Crossing 

Yukon

Comet Pan-STARRS continues to dazzle those who take the time to observe the early evening sky.  Tonight, aproximately an hour after the sun sets, scan the western horizon with a pair of binoculars.  If you're lucky you'll spot a tiny fuzzy object sporting a fanning tail.  Pan-STARRS is expected to showcase its beauty for the next few weeks before it becomes too distant to observe with the naked eye.  We won't see this particular comet for another million years or so!

Last night's image was taken with a Nikon D800, ISO set at 800 at an 8sec exposure.  A 300mm f/2.8 lens set at f/3.5 was attached.

More information, sky maps and images of Pan-STARRS can be found on spaceweather.com and on waitingforison.wordpress.com/comet-panstarrs/

Tonight's sky promises to be clear again!!

Good luck with your viewing of Pan-STARRS.

Cheers,
Claus

My first glimpse of Comet Pan-STARRS

Comet Pan-STARRS

near Pelly Crossing, Yukon 

A quick hello - at long last I caught my first glimpse of Comet Pan-STARRS an hour or so ago - very faint, but much more pronounced with binoculars. 

I spotted the comet at 1030pm while scanning the western sky with binoc's (look a few degrees above the horizon directly above where the sun set).  Tonight the sun set at 8:15pm (hard to believe) with darkness approaching the western sky an hour or so later.

I'm thrilled to have seen this comet as it had eluded me in Ottawa and during my first few days back North.  My mistake was that I was looking far too early - apparently 45mins to 1hr after sunset is ideal.  More and more viewers across the northern hemisphere are beginning to see the comet with the naked eye.  In the coming days the comet will appear higher in the 

evening sky which will make it an easier target for the untrained eye.  

Tonight's shot is very basic - I'm sure there will be plenty more nights in the coming weeks to fine tune my comet photography skills - so neat!!

Hope you have an opportunity to see it.

Good night,

Claus

Photo Info:  Nikon D800 camera with Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens attached.  Mounted on tripod, 8 sec exp, 1000ISO, f /3.5

Checkpoint Pelly Crossing

Yuka Honda (Yukon Quest 300) and her dogs arrive 

at the finish line in Pelly Crossing 

Allen Moore - first musher to arrive in Pelly Crossing

Feb 4th at 1:24am

Pups resting for the next leg of the race

Quest Vets check on the wellbeing of all pups

Traffic jam in Pelly - two teams 

(Christina Traverse a few seconds behind Randy MacKenzie in red)

 arriving at Checkpoint Pelly Crossing

Susan Rogan spends a few seconds with each of her

dogs moments before departing Pelly

Normand Casavant convincing his pup to eat

Normand Casavant hands out snacks

Markus Ingebretsen arrives at Checkpoint Pelly 

Putting on booties

Quest volunteers staying warm by campfire

waiting for next team to arrive

Darrin Lee arrives in Pelly

Volunteers check his gear

Dropped from race

Dyan Bergen and her team prepare to depart Pelly

Tamra Reynolds (YQ 300) arrives at finish in Pelly

Exhausted pup in bag

Time for a snooze

Welcome to Checkpoint Pelly Crossing - the fourth official stop in this year's running of the Yukon Quest.  Allen Moore was the first to arrive at 01:24am on Feb 4th.  

Mushers, upon arrival, are greeted by a team of Quest volunteers who check to see if each sled is equipped with a sleeping bag, food for musher and pups, snowshoes, an axe, the vet book, and other basic gear.  Time deductions are handed out to any musher failing to have the required gear.  Vets also take the opportunity to check on the wellbeing of all the pups.  Those injured or too exhausted to continue are dropped from the team - the handlers will then look after the well being of those pups.

Mushers are offered a hot meal as are the pups - mushers take hot water to thaw chunks of meat, fish and other goodies added to kibble.  Once the pups have eaten, they will rest for a few hours on a bed of straw.  Many mushers provide blankets and 'hand warmers' for their team.  Some of the mushers also elected to catch up on their rest while their team snoozes in Pelly.

At one point we had nine teams in the 'dog yard' - close to 140 sled dogs in our small village.  

Pelly is also the finishing point for those racing in the Yukon Quest 300 - a 300mile journey from Whitehorse to Stepping Stone and Pelly.  This years winner was Michelle Phillips who arrived 8 secs ahead of Aliy Zirkle.  The YQ300 is a qualifying race for those wishing to run in the 1000 mile Yukon Quest race.

Stayed tuned for images from the Dawson Checkpoint.

More images from Checkpoint Pelly are available on my flickr account

Good night,

Cheers

Claus

Please post a comment.

Yukon Quest and the Yukon Quest 300

Yuka Honda on her way to finishing the Yukon Quest 300

Pelly Crossing, Feb 05, 2013

Winter greetings from the Yukon!

February has arrived and with it so have the dogs and their mushers competing in this years running of the Yukon Quest International 1000 mile Dog Sled Race and in the Yukon Quest 300.  

The last few days have been exciting with over 400 dogs travelling through Pelly.

Stay turned for more images and stories from these two events.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers for now,

Claus

Autumn's Grace and Elegance

Sandhill cranes fly directly overhead

Pelly Crossing, Yukon

Welcome back to the Yukon!
I arrived safe and sound and just in time to see the start of the fall migration season - the Sandhill cranes have returned.  Oh so beautiful!
Hope you are well in your corner of the world.
Cheers,
Claus

Photo info:  Images captured with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 lens attached.  ISO250, f/7.1 Aperture priority, Continuos focus set to HIGH, Vibration Reduction ON, handheld

Yukon Quest 2012

Kyla Durham's pups resting in Pelly Crossing 

Kyla Durham departs Pelly at 12:06 Mon Feb 13

Brent Sass and his team depart Pelly 13:57 Feb 12

Brent Sass' team prepares to depart Pelly

A well deserved snooze after 700 miles

Team Marcelle Fressineau taking a rest in Pelly Feb 16

Joar Leifseth's team in Pelly (dogs from Norway)

Misha Pedersen's sled leaves Pelly Feb 14

Pups from Kyla Durham's team

Pelly Crossing - an official checkpoint in the Yukon Quest

The 29th annual running of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race between Fairbanks (Alaska) and Whitehorse (Yukon) is now officially one for the history books.  In what has become the closest finish in Quest history, musher Hugh Neff narrowly beat Allen Moore by twenty-six seconds in Whitehorse during the predawn hours of Valentines Day (total time: 9 days, 16 hrs and 5 mins).  What an accomplishment for both sleds, especially after having raced 1,600km.  Congratulations!

The 1,600km (1000 mile) route retraces the historic winter routes followed by the prospectors, adventure seekers, mail and supply carriers travelling between the gold fields of the Klondike and those in the Alaskan interior during the 1800 and 1900's.  The route runs along frozen rivers, over four mountain ranges, through valleys, dense bush and Northern towns.  Temperatures can range between minus 51 ºC and +8 ºC, while wind speeds have been clocked over 80km/hr.  Due to the difficult trail conditions, extreme weather and limited support between checkpoints, the Yukon Quest has often been referred to as "the most difficult sled dog race in the world".

Along the way there are ten checkpoints and four dog drops where veterinarians and race officials are present to record times, check gear and to ensure the health of the pups.  Mushers are not allowed receive outside help along the route with the exception of when they are in Dawson City, the halfway point.

Mushers, and their dogs, have a mandatory 36-hour layover when they reach Dawson City.  The first team into Dawson and, who later completes the race, receives a four ounce bag of placer gold.  Now, that is cool!

All teams pack aprox 100kg of gear, equipment and enough provisions for the mushers and pups to see them through between checkpoints.  Mushers are permitted to leave dogs at any checkpoint or dog drop but they cannot replace them.  Sleds may not be replaced.

The longest race time recorded was in 1988 when Ty Halvorson took 20 days, 8 hours and 29 mins to finish the race.  The fastest time occurred in 2010 when Hans Gatt completed the race in only 9 days and 26 mins.

Last weekend we had the privilege of welcoming the mushers and their teams to Pelly Crossing, one of the official checkpoints.  What a wonderful experience it was to meet them, their handlers, race officials and veterinarians and, of course the dogs who are the real hero's of the Quest.  Weather during this year's race had been unseasonable mild with temperatures recored as high as +8 ºC.  Due to the warm conditions, many mushers elected to run their teams at night when temperatures, and snow conditions, were more favourable for the pups.

While in Pelly, the mushers had the opportunity to resupply their provisions, have their dogs checked by vets and allow the pups some much needed rest if required.  Bales of hay were made available for the dogs to snooze on.

This year the race attracted teams from Norway, Siberia, across Alaska and from the Yukon.  Twenty-three teams began the Quest in Fairbanks, Alaska, on February 4th.  As of 7:40pm this evening, seventeen teams have crossed the finishline in Whitehorse with the final two teams expected to complete the race later tonight.  Five teams either scratched or withdrew from this years race.

Congratulations to all mushers, their pups and handlers, race officials and veterinarians for a fabulous race.  See you next year when the race kicks off in Whitehorse.

In the meantime I encourage you check out the official website of the YUKON QUEST for more information, race updates, images and bio's of the mushers and their dogs.  You can also check out a video of this year's Quest

Here's a neat tid bit of info - Brent Sass, one of the mushers, mentioned that he purchased 4,000 pairs of booties for the Quest (apparently many are lost along the way).

More pictures from Checkpoint Pelly available shortly.  Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,
Claus

UPDATE:   21:34 (Feb 19) - the final two teams have crossed the finish line in Whitehorse.  Congrats!!

An orange sky at night, a Yukoner's delight

The other night, shortly before the northern lights rippled across the evening sky, a thick cloud of smoke (from all the wood stoves burning) descended upon Pelly Crossing.  The lights from the houses and from the street lamps were absorbed by the smoke and, for few minutes that night, ignited the otherwise moonless sky into a fiery orange blaze.  Very eerie indeed!

Thankfully the cloud lifted in time to reveal the northern lights dancing overhead.

Valentine Lights

Today, shortly after 7pm, the clouds lifted in time to unveil tonights celestial show - A Valentine Dance of the Aurora.  What a show it was as the northern lights rippled and danced their way across our evening sky.  The show continued for hours. 

The above images were photographed with a Nikon D700 camera (Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 4000, f/4 and an exposure between 8-10 secs.).

Happy Valentines Day from the Yukon!

The end of the deep freeze

Pelly Crossing in -45 degree temps - full moon light

My God it chilly!!!  Yesterday morning, my students reported that their thermometers had dipped to -50 ºC, a record low for this season.  Didn't know that our thermometers could read such low temperatures!  Thankfully, the end of our cold snap is in sight.
What a week it was as the temperature barely made it over the -40 ºC threshold.  Throughout the week school bus pick ups were cancelled, the day care was closed, our travelling doctor could not make it into Pelly and many folks postponed road trips to Whitehorse because it was far too dangerous to drive the 4hr journey in minus forty degree temps.  Many here went to bed for the night forgetting to stoke their wood stoves with enough fuel.  Sadly, they awoke the next morning to frozen pipes.  Zippers were frozen shut, fingers and toes numbed far too quickly and I was shocked at how little time it took for frost bite to grab hold of the tip of my nose.  Boy, it was cold - so cold that even the our ravens were spotted bundled up together with feathers ruffled trying to conserve as much body heat as possible.  Not a bird song was heard throughout the week.
For much of the cold snap a thick blanket of wood smoke descended upon much of Pelly Crossing.  The haze certainly created some classic winter scenes as the sun rose behind the spruce trees with its gold rays radiating in every which way.  The evening sunsets were equally brilliant as the skies were ablaze in gold, yellow and reds.
One a positive note - the evening skies were crystal clear as billions upon billions of twinkling stars lit up the otherwise dark winter sky.  Unfortunately for us, it seemed that even the northern lights were too cold to dance for us this past week :)  Just kidding!  Solar activity was minimal the last few days, hence the lack of northern lights.  NOAA forecasters are predicting a 25% chance of spotting aurora over our area this weekend as an incoming CME (coronal mass ejection) is expected to hit the Earth in the next 36 hours.  High latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras.  Unfortunately for us here in the Pelly, the weekend weather calls for cloudy conditions and snow flurries. Think positive Claus, the clouds will bring along warmer temps :)
Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
Cheers,
Claus

What to do when it's -45 ºC outside

It's simple - just go outside with a cup of boiling water and toss it into the frigid air.  Within a fraction of a second the water freezes and crackles as the tiny ice crystals create the most incredible ice cloud formation imaginable.
Hey, what else is there to when the temperatures are well below forty degrees Celsius.
This exercise did give me some thoughts about a mini photo assignment - photographing these ice clouds from various angles and under different lights.  Stay tuned!!!

Welcome Back

Northern lights over Pelly River - ISO 800, 18mm,  15sec

Greetings once again from the Yukon! 

It's official - summer 2011 has had its swan song.  

Last night the aurora took centre stage as they began to dance across our night sky.  After a season dominated by the midnight sun it was a treat to see the curtains of green, yellow and pink unfurl across our northern skies once again.  

It was a bittersweet moment to say good bye to summer but at the same time a joy to welcome the first aurora of the season.  By all accounts the coming months should bring some stunning displays.  Stay tuned!

I look forward to sharing more images from both the Yukon, and from my adventures and misadventures over summer, with you.

Hope you enjoyed your summer.

Cheers,

Claus

No April Fools

Quick note as its well past midnight - the northern lights made a brief appearance tonight over the skies of Pelly Crossing, Yukon.  Shortly before midnight I decided to peak outside my window to see if there was an unexpected celestial display.  Thankfully there was.  I quickly gathered my camera, tripod, cable release and memory card and bolted outdoors to capture the tail end of the show. Tonight's temperature was a balmy +3 oC (don't miss those -45 degree nights).

I was a bit spooked of heading out too far as the grizzlies have now started to emerge from their winter dens - I don't relish the thought of bumping into them in the middle of the night.

Not the best shots tonight as the street lights interfered with my images. 

There won't be too many more nights like tonight as the aurora are quickly giving way to the midnight sun which will grace our northern skies till August.

If you missed the shots from the spectacular March display be sure to click on March archives found on right hand side of this page.

Good night!  

Photo specs:  1200ASA, f/3.2 (Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8), 15 sec exposure (Nikon D700)