Sphinx Observatory [Explored]

There are invitations you simply cannot turn down. Spending a night at 3571m on Jungfraujoch definitely falls into this category.

 

When my buddy Benjamin Barakat informed me about the invitation to visit the high altitude research station and that we would get access to the restricted areas on the Spinx Observatory, I was really excited. The place has been on top of my wish list for quite a while.

 

The alpine high altitude environment did not make it an easy shooting. When we arrived in the afternoon, there was snowfall, but the forecast predicted that it would clear during the night. Shortly before sunset the clouds parted, but our high hopes were damped when thick fog rolled in shortly after nightfall.

 

We nevertheless decided to brave the cold on the science platform of the Spinx Observatory and were finally rewarded with completely clear skies.

 

This image shows the winter Miky Way with Orion and Taurus rising over the dome of the Sphinx Observatory. The bright glow on the right is light pollution from the Italian metropolis Milano, 150km away.

 

EXIF

Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified

Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 @ 15mm

iOptron SkyTracker

Sky:

10 x 60s @ ISO1600, tracked

Foreground:

Stack of 5 x 15s @ ISO800

Done