Celestial Arch

++ Featured in the Bighorn Gallery at Dead Horse Point State Park March to April 2014 and September 1, 2015 through February 29, 2016 ++

I visited Capitol Reef National Park during a spring night with a specific subject in mind, Cathedral Valley. The prominent features of this geographic area are the Temples of the Moon and Sun. For a late night shot these two landmarks made incredible foreground subjects. I settled down for a short nap around midnight, knowing the opportune time would come about 2:30 AM. An alarm was set, and at the rudely-awakened hour I walked out into the desert to an incredible spectacle, the Milky Way arching high above the desert features, like a celestial arch.

File info: 130545223 [3:1]

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA

Author: Chad Dutson

Photo size: 1.4 Mpixels (4 MB uncompressed) - 2049x683 pixels (6.8x2.3 in / 17.3x5.8 cm at 300 ppi)

Photo keywords: america, american, arch, astronomy, beauty, capitol reef, cathedral valley, celestial, celestial arch, chad dutson, colorado, crnp, desert, desertscape, exposure, feature, landmark, landscape, light, milky way, national park, nature, night, nightscape, panorama, pleateau, season, shadow, silhouette, sky, southwest, spring, star, stars, temple of the moon, temple of the sun, utah, west, wild, wilderness

Published in: 2014 Releases, Colorado & Utah, Desert, Dunes, Arches, Sky, Night, Astronomy, Panoramas, 3:1 Panorama, Capitol Reef National Park