2020 June 14 ~ The Milky Way in the constellation Cygnus

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 02.10 and 02.22 EDT

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Altitude of centre of Cygnus at time of exposures: ~67°

* Temperature 3° C.

 

* Total exposure time: 5 minutes

* 50 mm focal length lens

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Description:

 

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, runs through the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) in the northern hemisphere summer sky. Dense clouds of stars are obscured in places by winding lanes of dark foreground gas.

 

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on the RIGHT side of your screen, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/50011965646

 

One of the largest and most obvious red hydrogen gas clouds is the aptly named "North America Nebula", two-thirds of the way from the centre of the frame to the left edge. For a close-up view of this nebula made with a 400 mm lens in August 2015, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/19933485213

 

Between the North America Nebula and the centre of the frame is a region of red hydrogen gas globules surrounding the bright star Sadr. for a close-in view of this area, made in August 2017 with a 200 mm focal length lens, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/35924527470

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Technical information:

 

Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

 

Five stacked frames; each frame:

50 mm focal length

ISO 4000; 1 minute exposure at f/4.5; unguided

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

 

Subframes registered in RegiStar;

Stacked and processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, levels, colour balance)

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Done