A last minute decision to drive down to Goblin Valley for some astrophotography on Christmas Eve paid off well. The entire park was deserted, skies were crystal clear, and even the weather/wind cooperated with (for the season and time of day) mild conditions. I shot from about 9 pm to a bit after midnight, before making the 4 hour drive home again.

A bit over three hours went into the star trail image, with saturation boosted in post to really show off the colors of star and sky.

Orion was a few simple 12 second panels, stacked to help eliminate noise. I was surprised to see just how much nebulosity I was able to capture! Barnard's loop, along with the flame and even some of the famous (and often difficult) faint red Horsehead Nebula! The stars of Christmas morning were nothing short of spectacular!