The Hidden City

Last night there were a very thick fog covering the city of Östersund. In this photo you can see the fog lit up from beneath by the city lights. It's very interesting to see all the different colors from different type of light sources.

One of the most known landmarks of Östersund is Rådhuset (City hall) and you can see the tower/spire of that building sticking up through the fog in center of the photo.

The guardian angel of the Moon

This is a photo I took back in November of 2014. I was out to capture the sunset and on my way home I found this rather unique composition. The statue is placed at Frösö kyrka and this night the crescent Moon was perfectly aligned for the angel to very gently pick it up with.

Little Solar Halo Observer

Yesterday a beautiful solar halo was visible around Östersund. Me and my son went out watch it over the frozen lake Storsjön. It was his first full circle solar halo so it was a special moment, also for his daddy :)

Earth calling comet Lovejoy

This is Earth calling comet Lovejoy, do you copy?

My first photo of comet Lovejoy

A couple of nights ago I managed to get my first shot of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy. A total exposure of 39 minutes at a focal length of 180mm. I had a hard time processing the images due to a light polluted sky but in the end I managed to dig out some of the comets long tail. Next time I will go to a darker location to hopefully get more details in the tail.

Light Pillars over Östersund

Last night there were some beautiful light pillars visible over Östersund. It's been a while since I last saw this phenomena but tonight they where clearly visible.

The Tree of Sauron

Lots of snow in the air and the Sun behind a tree can give some dramatic optical effects.

Things to look forward to in 2015

A new year starts today, a year filled with exciting astronomical events to look forward to. In this photo you can see the Great Lake Monster looking at a solar halo, an event we hopefully see more of during the winter ahead.

First out is comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), it will soon be visible here in northern Sweden and I'm really looking forward to see and take photos of it. It should double in brightness by mid-January 2015. This puts it just above the threshold for naked-eye visibility and makes it possible to record the comet using only a camera--no telescope required.

One of the biggest astronomical events during 2015 is the total solar eclipse on the 25th of March. In the northern Scandinavia more than 90% of the sun will be covered. To see the total solar eclipse you need to travel to Svalbard or Faroe Islands.

Another great event is the Blue Moon on July 31. A Blue Moon is when there are 2 full moons in one Month. A full moon occurs roughly every 29.5 days so on rare occasions there are two full moons in one month, then the second full moon is called a Blue Moon.

Also NASA's New Horizons will arrive at Pluto, lunar eclipse, meteor showers and more. I'll keep you posted as we're getting closer to them during the year.

Happy new year and clear skies!