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This image is the result of a lot of planning to get things just right - factoring in snowpack, moonlight, light pollution, astronomical timing, camera gear, backpacking gear, special use permits, friends who'd even consider joining me for something like this, and (mother nature's trump card) the weather. And with a little flexibility on our timing, I'm happy to say that David Kingham, Dan Ballard, and I enjoyed what we considered to be a great success. It sure helped that luck was on our side with that glowing lenticular cloud!

This composite image was taken after a night-time hike above Loveland Pass west of Denver, Colorado. It features Cupid as the closest mountain (our target), Grays and Torreys Peaks, light pollution coming all the way from Denver (50 or so miles away), and the Milky Way up top. On the tech side, this image comes from one 4 minute long exposure for the foreground and 10 stacked 15 second exposures for the sky.