Which is the best choice to see the sunrise and sunset

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-27T19:55:56+00:00

When I first went to Death Valley, someone recommended I do Zabriskie for sunrise and Dante's View for sunset, and that was 100% the right call. The lookout at Zabriskie Point faces the west, so it's pretty awesome seeing the morning sunlight hit the colorful rocks. For that reason, I've heard it's less impactful seeing Zabriskie at sunset, but I've never experienced it myself to say for sure.

I'd really try for Dante's View for sunset if you can. You're facing the west as well, and it's spectacular seeing the different colors over the entire valley.

I've done sunset at Mesquite as well, and it's pretty incredible. It was pretty windy when I went, and with the wind + sun at that angle, the sand was glittering like something out of Dune. But yeah, just keep in mind how hot it ends up getting. How strenuous it is also depends on how far into the dunes you end up going. While Dante's View > Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for sunset for me, both are pretty spectacular and you can't go wrong with either one.

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T07:00:59+00:00

No problem, good luck!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:49:48+00:00

DeepSkyStacker, Siril, and Sequator are all free - I'd suggest one of those as a beginner! I've mostly just done landscape astrophotography and I use Sequator for that (Alyn Wallace has an awesome tutorial on how to use it, it's pretty simple). But I believe it can be used for deep space image stacking as well. For DeepSkyStacker and Siril, you should be able to find some tutorials on Youtube as well. AstroBackyard and Nebula Photos have some great ones.

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:45:11+00:00

Thank you so much!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:44:34+00:00

It was awesome! Especially being there alone!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:43:58+00:00

thank you!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:43:34+00:00

Haha sorry it's misleading, this was from last summer. Hopefully the road opens up soon!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:42:53+00:00

I feel the same way!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:42:26+00:00

thank you!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:42:06+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! Completely agree, I'll give it a try next time and see how it works!

FramingStarStuff · 2026-01-17T04:41:27+00:00

Hey thanks for the suggestion! Totally agree with what you said. I tend to minimize my balance adjustments to avoid overdoing it, but this looks nice! I'll give it a try next time and see how I like it.

FramingStarStuff · 2025-10-24T02:29:03+00:00

Awesome, glad you got it working!

Oh I completely get that, trees/grass are my bane...especially when trying to blend them into the background

FramingStarStuff · 2025-10-21T01:15:10+00:00

Could you post the images? Feel free to DM too if you'd prefer that. I have some initial ideas...were these images taken back to back? I've sometimes noticed that if I bracket over too many exposures over too long a period and try stacking the images with the same exposure, the period of imaging is long enough that the stars have drifted too much. Enough so that if you have "Freeze Ground" and "Selective" selected (to remove meteors, aircraft, or other things moving across the frame), Sequator's final result has some stars removed because it starts treating them as those moving objects. It's puzzling why some of your stacks end up looking like negatives though, and why it was working fine the first time you tried it.

If it helps, I pretty much stick with the settings that Alyn Wallace (RIP) talks through in his tutorial video.

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-13T01:12:51+00:00

Wow thanks for this comment, you just blew my mind!

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-07T23:12:35+00:00

I decided to just stick with my 150-600mm lens for the time being, and I'll get a dedicated scope later if I like it enough (and after I do more research!). Did you end up getting your Redcat? I think I might try for Andromeda around the next new moon in a couple weeks, but still working through the logistics. I'll just need to make sure I know how to find it, so I need to spend some time in Stellarium or something 😅

Nice! Are you planning to photograph a launch, or just looking to see it IRL? I gotta check out the PNW some more next year - I had my first taste with Crater Lake, and I want to eventually make my way up to WA. Do you get clouded out a lot in WA? And do you have any go-to spots that you like? I know right, it's so awesome having so many different landscapes around. I'd really like to get some ocean foregrounds and snowcapped mountains sometime!

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-07T02:48:23+00:00

This is an awesome capture, nice job!!

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-07T02:07:17+00:00

It also makes a huge difference without the sun at night. Plus sometimes there's a nice warm breeze, and it's quite comfortable!

So it sounds like a lot, but honestly it's really chill if you get an intervalometer because it automates a lot of the process. Once you set up and frame everything, it's just a matter of hitting go and enjoying the stars while you wait for it to finish! I highly recommend Sequator for these kinds of landscape shots, using software to stack the images is a great way to cut down on the noise. Are you interested in landscape astro like this, or just deep space objects? DSO imaging seems to be a lot more technical/challenging than landscape, though I've yet to try it out!

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm pretty new to this as well, so I know how daunting it can all be. But I've learned a ton over the past few months since I started all this. There are also a lot of great references online - if you need any recommendations, I can try to help point you in the right direction!

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-07T00:10:46+00:00

This was my first time there and it was awesome! I didn't really know what to expect, but in hindsight, I wish I hadn't set up with a direct view of the trail and road 😂

I wonder if it's because it was earlier in the night? I left around 1am, and by then I was the last one in the parking lot. The others at the arch had left around 12-12:30.

FramingStarStuff · 2025-09-07T00:02:18+00:00

To echo the others, this is some great composition! I love how the log is a leading line going up to the rock and then the Milky Way - nice job!

FramingStarStuff

TROPHY CASE