Ashokan Star Trails and Aurora

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “This was another image I have always had in mind. The Ashokan Reservoir Spillway, located off 28A on the South side of the lower basin flows when there is enough water. On years with good snow pack, or increased rainfall, the spillway runs once a year, typically in Spring. When the clear skies finally arrived, I was counting on photographing star trails and the flow of the water. I tried this several times before and encountered many issues including clouds, too much splatter from the waterfall, and a ton of cars on 28A that pass through the shot.

In April, I checked the spillway again, and it was at the right level. The day came, and on a Tuesday from 3-4am I captured a series of images. I utilized the 16mm lens as it was wide enough to create circular trails while keeping the mountains and bridge in frame. Luckily no one drove by, and when I checked the timelapse, the aurora had made a surprise appearance.”

Technical details:
Sony A7RII, Viltrox 16mm F1.8, F2.8, ISO3200
172 x 20s exposures

A composite of 172 frames, each 20 seconds in length. I have also taken the liberty of removing the planes and satellites in Photoshop.