Florissant Fossil Beds

Dark Site

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located in Colorado just about an hour drive from Colorado. It’s location high and behind Pike’s Peak makes it an ideal observing location. Located on the property is the Hornbek Homestead with a wide, flat parking lot that is open 24 hours.

Site Stats

   
Location Florissant, Colorado, USA
Latitude 38° 55’ 35.41” N
Longitude 105° 16’ 58.94” W
Elevation 8,500’ (2590m)
Bortle 3 - 4

These are all images I captured from that location.

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Images

I took advantage of low horizons in a dark site to capture this close-up of the elusive Rho Ophiuchi system with bright yellow Antares, purple-bluish Alniya and the M4 and NGC6144 clusters.
⭐ Rho Ophiuchi
Orion looms over a lone house on the Hornbeck Homestead in Florissant, Colorado as it slips below the horizon.
Orion the Settler
A flaming Venus chases Orion to the horizon behind the Hornbeck Homestead in Florissant, Colorado.
Orion and Venus
A brilliant waxing gibbous moon seen from the Florissant Fossil Beds National Park.
⭐ The Moon at Florissant
The Milky Way rises over the horizon across from the Hornbeck Homestead in Florissant, Colorado.
⭐ Milky Way Rising
A quick capture of this magnificent cluster from a dark site.
⭐ M13 from Florissant
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Videos

Gear: Svbony sv503 70ED 70mm (420mm f/7 or 336mm f/5 with reducer) doublet refractor, Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera, assorted Samyang manual focus lenses, Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi 'go to' mount, Manfrotto tripod. Targets: Milky Way, Moon, SpaceX Crew-5 Dragon trunk, M13, Orion constellation, Venus, and Antares region with part of Rho Ophiuchi.
Colorado Springs 2023: Astrophotography on the road
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