51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Thiis is a panorama of Orion and the winter stars setting into the evening twilight spring sky on April 19, 2024, in their last evening's appearance for the year. Orion is left of centre, with the bright star Sirius in Canis Major at far left. At right is Aldebaran amid the Hyades star cluster, and the smaller Pleiades star cluster to the right, all in Taurus. At lower right is Jupiter, also in its last evening's show for 2024. The image serves as a good illustration of how the Belt stars of Orion point left (south) to Sirius and right (north) to Aldebaran. All are over the Bow River valley in southern Alberta, overlooking the historic Blackfoot Crossing meeting place for local First Nations and where Treaty Seven was signed in 1877. Indeed, I shot this from the valley viewpoint at the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park south of Cluny, Alberta on the Siksika First Nation. The scene is lit by the twilight but also by light from the waxing gibbous Moon off frame to the left This is a panorama of 2 segments, each 13 seconds, untracked, at f/2.8 with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 28mm, on the Canon R5 at ISO 100. Stitched in Adobe Camera Raw. Finishing effects added with Luminar Neo and AstronomyTools actions. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)