Winter constellations setting on the western horizon over the eastern edge of the San Juan range in south-central Colorado, just north of Alamosa. To the east (and behind me) sat Great Sand Dunes National Park and the northern reaches of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

I was on a Sunday evening return to my home in Taos, NM. Light traffic along the roads, the expansive horizons and clear skies, made for prime low light astro-photography. Steady winds across the sage brush plains made steadying the tripod challenging.

Documenting the winter constellations in springtime with such an open vantage point is a rare treat to view them all horizontally in relationship to the horizon.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor 28.0-80.0 mm
ISO: 1,600
Exposure: 00:06

Camera Raw & Photoshop
Adjustments on level balance & cropping
Minor adjustments on exposure, contrast, shadows, whites & blacks, clarity, dehaze, vibrance, saturation