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Factory Butte Erupts

The majestic Factory Butte in Hanksville, Utah appears to burst forth with the Milky Way.

Photo Story

  • Episode 4: The majestic Factory Butte in Hanksville, Utah appears to burst forth with the Milky Way.

    Factory Butte Erupts

    Episode 4: The majestic Factory Butte in Hanksville, Utah appears to burst forth with the Milky Way.

Episode 4: This photo sparked it all. I saw the Factory Butte in a screensaver once and imagined what it might look like in perfect alignment with the stars. I didn’t even know where it was. 

I started planning a 3,000 mile road trip centered around driving past this view right as the moon was new, providing the ultimate dark night.  Would the weather cooperate and give me clear skies?  No.  I had planned the exact spot to be in, using GPS and maps and star planning apps and good intentions. I got set up and waited for dark as the sky was completely overcast. I couldn’t see any stars.  Would it be all for nothing as I sat in the desert at 2:00 a.m. waiting?  

I took a few photos of the cloudy night sky and decided to throw in the towel and head back to camp, driving across the moonscape with my lights on low to keep my night-vision as best I could. About a mile from my original position, I slammed on the breaks and jumped out of the car with my camera just as the clouds parted, and just in time to capture the shot I was after.  I was elated and immediately took a photo of my camera screen to send home with a text saying, “I got it! This is what I drove all this way for!”

  • Canon 5D with 24mm lens
  • Sky: one exposure at 81-seconds
  • Foreground: one exposure of 4 minutes and 30 seconds

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