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Caput Aquilae [Explored]

I discovered this amazing place while scouting off the beaten track in Joshua Tree National Park. A quick check of PlanIt for Photographers showed that the rising Milky Way aligns nicely behind the rock, which looks to me like a giant eagle's head.

 

I couldn't wait to shoot the composition, but as it was full moon, I reluctantly marked the location for a future visit.

 

A month later, it was the obvious target for the first night of my astrophotography trip as it was still within range after a 12 hour flight to LAX and a subsequent 3 hour 30 minute drive to Joshua Tree NP.

 

Although fairly exhausted after the long journey, I hiked to the marked spot and set up my low-level lighting and camera just in time to capture the rising Milky Way.

 

Only now did I notice that the eagle's head was positioned exactly in front of the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. The title of the image was, therefore, a no-brainer: Caput Aquilae - The Eagle's Head

 

EXIF

Canon EOS-R, astro-modified

Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 @ 15mm

IDAS NBZ filter

iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Low Level Lighting

 

Foreground:

Focus stack of 5x 60s @ ISO3200

 

Sky:

10x 60s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 5x 150s @ ISO6400, filtered

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Uploaded on July 3, 2023
Taken on May 14, 2023