Big Dipper — Slocan Valley

Sometimes the best astronomy doesn't require a telescope.

The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) rising over the Slocan Valley in the BC Interior. Shot from the deck of a cabin with an iPhone — ten minutes of integration stacked in-camera. The Kootenays have some of the darkest skies in southern British Columbia, far from the light pollution of the coast.

The seven stars of the Big Dipper are among the first most people learn to identify. Five of them are actually moving through space together as part of the Ursa Major Moving Group — a real physical association of stars, not just a visual coincidence.

Technical Details

• Object: Big Dipper (Ursa Major)
• Camera: iPhone
• Integration: 10 minutes
• Location: Slocan Valley, BC