Dark Stars

A dark sky north of Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa provided this star-studded view looking northwest from near the Hoffman Tree Farm off C Avenue, about .75 mile north of East Main Street. This image, a one-minute exposure shot at f/3.5, 400 ISO and a 18mm focal length, includes the entire constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). City light pollution to the south precluded a good look at the Milky Way visible during this time and date of 9:50 PM, Wednesday, August 24, 2011.