Northern exposure

I took this picture out of the upstairs window last night, using the windowsill as a tripod and a 60-second exposure. Despite not really being able to aim the camera where I wanted it, I managed to capture the constellation Ursa Minor with Polaris in its tail, thus proving that I am really in the northern hemisphere. In the lower right-hand corner, you can see the lights of Buffalo glowing behind the top of a spruce tree.

I'm no astrophotographer, but I'm quite proud of this effort considering the limitations of my equipment. And I'm pretty sure I've identified that little blob of pixels correctly: I checked it against the Your Sky map. Although I've been in the northern hemisphere several times, last night was the first time that I have had the opportunity, the weather and the reference material to go out and look for the north pole star. It's an unfamiliar sky, for me, but now I know where I am.