2015 Sept. 12 ~ The Constellations Sagittarius & Scorpius

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Photographed near Coober Pedy, South Australia

(Outback Australia, 850 km northwest of Adelaide;

latitude 29 degrees south)

 

* Total exposure time: 10 minutes.

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Description:

 

This view of the centre of our home galaxy - the Milky Way - lies in the familiar constellations Sagittarius (left side) and Scorpius (right side). This part of the cosmos is always very low in the sky as seen from the northern Hemisphere.

 

When I captured the ten subframes that comprise this image, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius were almost directly overhead. The dark sky of the Australian Outback makes for a dramatic, high-contrast view.

 

Here is the equipment used to make this image:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/21202535154

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Technical information:

 

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer tracking mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

 

Ten stacked frames; each frame:

50 mm focal length

ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/4.5

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

 

Stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, levels, colour balance, colour desaturation)

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Done