iPhone 16 Pro NIGHT MODE. Pennsylvania :)

"Meandering"

They call this an "entrenched meander". While covering only 1.5 miles the San Juan River flows more than 6 through these tight turns. Standing on the edge over 1000ft above the views are magnificent. We had clouds again. Seems to be the story of my first few nights out there, but this was my first opportunity to shoot with the Ha filter under truly dark skies.

I finished this up a few days ago and watched Atremis II launch taking the first crewed mission to orbit the moon in 53 years! Praying for a safe and successful mission and excited for a new age of space exploration.

Taken 03-15-2026 in Utah, USA

Nikon z7ii astromod by Kolari Vision

Rokinon 14mm 2.8

Astronomical 12nm Ha filter

iOptron Skyguider Pro

Sky: 90s x 12 - f/2.8 - iso 1250 // 90s x 12 - f/2.8 - iso 2500 - w/Ha filter

Foreground: 1/60s - f/8 - iso 800

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Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/stefan.ray.photography/

https://www.facebook.com/@stefan.ray.photography/

Before and after

This mission is called Artemis II

...and it’s a huge milestone for NASA.

🛰️ Orion vs. “Integrity” (cool detail a lot of people miss)

The spacecraft itself is called Orion spacecraft (built by Lockheed Martin + NASA).

But this specific capsule has a name: “Integrity.”

The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—chose Integrity as a 'call sign' to represent trust, teamwork, and the massive global effort behind the mission.

Fun fact: This will be the first crewed Orion mission ever to fly around the Moon.

📡 Want to watch it happen live?

We put together a page with:

• Live video stream 🎥
• Orion crew audio 🎙️
• Houston mission control comms

👉 https://usaviationagency.com/artemis-ii-launch-live-nasa-moon-mission/

**********

🚀 Artemis II: Humans Are Finally Going Back Around the Moon (Here’s What Makes It Different)

For the first time since Apollo 17 Moon Mission, humans are heading back into deep space—not just low Earth orbit, but all the way around the Moon.

This mission is called Artemis II, and it’s a huge milestone for NASA.

Quick facts that make this mission wild:

• 👨‍🚀 4 astronauts onboard
• 🌕 Lunar flyby (not landing… yet)
• 📏 ~685,000 miles traveled
• ⏱️ ~10 days total mission time
• 🛰️ Farthest distance humans have ever gone in space

🧠 So what’s the point if they’re not landing?

Unlike Apollo, Artemis II is more of a full systems test in deep space.

They’re validating:

• Life support systems
• Navigation far beyond Earth orbit
• Communication with mission control at extreme distances
• Overall spacecraft performance

Basically, this mission is making sure everything works before we put boots back on the Moon.

Big picture:
This isn’t just a mission—it’s the bridge between Apollo and the next era of human space exploration.

If everything goes right, the next steps are landing astronauts back on the Moon… and eventually going even farther.