The Parc national du Mont-Mégantic was named an International Dark Skies Reserve in 2007 and so is the place to go for dark nights and bright stars in Quebec. You can see the astronomical observatory in the distant left background.  Paulette and I snowshoed up the steep trail to Mont-Saint-Joseph with our friends Marc and Édith and further along a ridge to a lookout and this view.

I cropped the original picture from the normal 2:3 aspect ratio (producing standard 4x6 prints) to a movie theatre widescreen aspect of 2.39:1 (picture is 2.39 times as wide as high). This is even wider that the new HDTV ratio of 16:9 (or 1.77 times as wide as high). This aspect ratio doesn't change the angle of view of my camera lens but simulates a more dramatic panoramic view.

Canon 7D, 15-85 lens at 15 mm, 1/800 sec, f/8, ISO 200

Below is the view from our rented chalet cropped to the same movie widescreen format. Go to flickr for a few more pictures of our weekend around Mont-Mégantic- link