Canis Major

The constellation of Canis Major (the Big Dog) hangs over the southern Arizona desert. The bright star is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. At bottom center is the glowing smoke from a distant fire burning near the Mexican border. The foreground was illuminated by a 2-days-past-full moon.

Date: March 16, 2006
Time: 9:53 MST
Location: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
Camera: Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR on fixed tripod
Film: Kodak Elite Chrome 400 slide (pushed one stop)
Focal length: 40 mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure time: 20 seconds
Scanner: Nikon Coolscan LS-2000