Old Rag Star Trails, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Star Trails over the granite boulders at the summit of Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Old Rag is one of the most popular and dangerous trails in Shenandoah National Park. As a loop hike, Old Rag involves a difficult (but fun) rock scramble and is a strenuous 9-mile hike with significant elevation change. The rotation of the earth makes the stars appear to rotate around the North Star, resulting in circular star trails during a long exposure. In order to keep the sky black, multiple long exposure shots are taken and then later stacked in software.