South Atlantic Crossing

Flight conditions during a South Atlantic crossing are often bumpy, as the track crosses a permanent thunderstorm zone called Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ. This is a belt of low pressure which circles the Earth generally near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. It is characterised by convective activity which generates often vigorous thunderstorms over large areas.

 

During this flight the ITCZ was not very active, but the conditions would still be considered far from perfect for astrophotography, as there was a quarter moon in the sky and when the ride finally got reasonably smooth, the new day was adding even more light by painting the eastern sky in orange hues.

 

I therefore was surprised that I was able to capture the southern Milky Way with the famous Eta Carinae Nebula and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The good transparency and thin air of the atmosphere at 11'000 meters helped to limit the scattering of the moonlight and the approaching dawn.

 

Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com

 

EXIF

Canon EOS 6D astro modified

Samyang 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2

Mount: Boeing 777-300ER

Sky:

Stack of 19x 2.5s @ ISO6400

Foreground:

Stack of 5x 2.5s @ISO6400

Done