Spruce Knob during Almost Heaven Star Party 2025
Astronomy in beautiful locations is a highlight of my year. Going to Spruce Knob for the Almost Heaven Star Party every year is a premier event for me, regardless of weather. Well…almost regardless. I guess in torrential rains I may not be happy. But this year the weather was great…for landscape photography. Not so great for astronomy. We had a few windows of clear skies that gave us a glimpse into the glorious night sky. I snuck in a composition I have wanted to do for a while with the bare tree and Milky Way. This is now a featured Milky Way landscape photo on the website.
I did leave on Monday and I believe the forecast was going to be pretty decent for Monday night. I will let others share that story. But for me, it ended up being a landscape photography trip. A great exercise in landscape compositions that always gets the brain cells burning. The summit of Spruce Knob always provides a stunning setting with weather nearly always playing a role in determining the character of the moment. Gandy Creek is a drainage to the west of the summit and provides endless compositions for the landscape photographer. Here is the video and still images from the 3 days on the mountain. I had a conversation with Jackie about having a landscape photography outing during Almost Heaven Star Party next year. We will see if this happens. Drop me a line if you are interested in such an outing. Here is the next edition of my “Almost Heaven” video series from Spruce Knob. Clear skies.
