Early cloud and midges initially made us question our sanity but, as the sun set, so the clouds retreated and temperatures plummeted to reveal a glorious sky full of stars, satellites and occasional flashing aircraft above the western edge of Europe's largest International Dark Sky park.
The first pair of Apache on site used an area too far from our position for their lights to be easily seen in any photographs, but the return of the second pair at midnight also heralded the arrival of low lying fog that blanketed many of the previously used hiding areas for the Apache. So luck brought the Apache up to our slight high spot where one hovered very low close-by.
So in this Live Composite photograph, the nearby red flashing Apache hovers and then rises up to head off left, closely behind followed by its wingman which disappears low into the forest. Ten minutes later they both return to head back to base from left to right. The angled orange lights are high level civilian aircraft. Unfortunately one bright Perseid meteor flew past just out of frame! But otherwise ... the ideal had been achieved, star trail and Apache Longbow in one shot, thanks to the mist!
