View allAll Photos Tagged RhoOphiuchi
Object: Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.
This is a 4-panel mosaic with a total integration time of 8 hours.
Acquisition Date: May 2018
Location: iTEL - Siding Spring, AU
Camera: FLI-11002M @-20°C
Telescope: Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106 @f/5 530mm
Mount: Software Bisque
Guide scope: MMOAG
Guide Camera: SBIG STi
Filters:
-Luminance6 x 5 min. (30 min. x 4– 120 min. total)
-Red:6 x 5 min. (30 min. x 4– 120 min. total)
-Green:6 x 5 min. (30 min. x 4– 120 min. total)
-Blue:6 x 5 min. (30 min. x 4 – 120 min. total)
Total Exposure: 480 min. (8.0hr)
Comments:
-Processed in Pixinsight 1.8 and Photoshop CS5
Scorpius and bright Jupiter are rising behind the Tschuggen Obsrvatory above Arosa, Switzerland.
Summer has definately arrived here in Switzerland with temperatures reaching 100°F. Time for cooling down - at least visually - with an image from one of those crispy cold winter nights in February.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L @ 70mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Stack of 9 x 30s @ISO1600, tracked
Foreground:
Stack of 7 x 30s @ISO1600
This shot almost didn’t happen! I was on my way to another location with a similar landscape when I drove past this spot. Something about it caught my eye...it was dark but with the help of the moon I could roughly see a dark structure standing alone at the top of a tiny hill, so I pulled a U-turn, checked it out to find out it was a lone tree, so I decided to stay instead of driving another 15-20 minutes for similar composition.
With the moon high and bright, I took advantage of the natural lighting—capturing some foreground shots, set up for the sky, then waiting for the moon to set (with a quick nap in between).
The result? Rho Ophiuchi region rising behind this lone tree, bathed in soft moonlight. ✨🌙
Sometimes, the best locations find you!
Nikon D5200, Nikon D5500 (Modded) - 50mm f/1.8
Star Adventurer 2i
Hoya UV/IR Cut
Dati: 60 x 300 sec ( 5 ore) gain 5 @ -15° c + 174 dark + 30 flat e darkflat
Filtro: Astronomik UV/IR Block L2
Montatura: EQ6 pro
Ottica: Takahashi FSQ106
Sensore: QHY168C
Cam guida e tele: asi120mm su Scopos 62/520
Software acquisizione: nina e phd2
Software sviluppo: AstroPixelProcessor e Photoshop
Temperatura esterna: 8 ° C - Umidità 57%
As I am packing for my June trip to the southwest US, it is time to post another image from last years visit.
This is Metate Arch in Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. The night was absolutely clear with some airglow. Together with the Milky Way core and the colorful Rho Ophichui, these were the perfect conditions to capture the beauty of the night sky.
Prints available:
EXIF
- Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
- Samyang 24mm f1.4
- iOptron Skytracker
- Low Level Lighting
Foreground
3 x 50s @ ISO1600
Sky
3 x 50s @ ISO1600, tracked
During my June trip to the US, I had the pleasure to meet with Eric Gail to shoot at this not widely known arch. After scouting the place in the late afternoon, we were hoping for a colorful sunset. As it happens too often, the clouds that were present during the day, dissolved within minutues, when the sun was approaching the horizon. Too bad, but this meant clear skies for our Milky Way shots and and as this was the main reason for my trip, I was quite happy.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
5 x 60s @ISO1600, f/2 tracked
Foreground:
9 x 30s @ISO1600, f/1.4
Prints available:
February is not only the time when I usually enjoy my skiing vacation, it is also the time when the Milky Way core becomes visible again in the early morning.
Luckily the weather was perfect for my preferred pastimes this year and I was able to greet the dark horse and colorful Scorpius from my favorite haunt on Mt. Tschuggen in Arosa, Switzerland.
Contrary to my former visits, when I shot wide angle panoramas close to the decommissioned observatory, I decided to shoot it from farther away and with a longer focal length. I like how this perspective emphasizes the size of our home galaxy.
Getting out of bed at 3 a.m. after a long day of skiing and snowshoeing 40min up to this spot took quite a bit of willpower, but seeing my beloved Milky Way rising for the first time after 5 month, was an overwhelming experience and was well worth the effort.
At daybreak it was time to hike down again and after a hearty breakfast, I was ready for another day of skiing...
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L @ 50mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Stack of 10 x 30s @ISO1600, tracked
Foreground:
Stack of 7 x 30s @ISO1600
Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
........................................................
Located at about 500 light-years from Earth, Rho Ophiuchi is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and colorful parts of the night sky.
Emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae or star clusters, all can be found in this small part of the sky. There is also a star nursery, practically the closest to Earth, and not to forget Antares (in the yellow area of the attached photo), a giant star, 700 times larger than the Sun, and 10,000 times brighter.
A book could be written about this area, so I will stop here with the description. I hope I will be lucky enough to repeat the experience at the next new moon.
……………………………………………
Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventure GTI
Camera: Nikon D610 – astro modified
Lens : Rokinon 135mm F2
Settings: F 2.8, ISO 1600
Total exposure: 80 minutes (53 exposures x 90 sec)
Calibration frames: 15 darks.
Location: Bortle ¾.
Edit : Pixinsight.
During my June trip, I had a short phone conversation with my friend and fellow photographer Eugene Louie and we were very surprised to discover that we were both planning to shoot near Lone Pine, CA the next night. Of course, we immediately decided to do the shooting together.
After meeting in the afternoon, we had an early dinner and, while discussing our plans over a burger, we discovered that we favored two totally different places for our night together.
After checking our planning apps, we agreed that shooting at both spots was possible during the next night, as the MW would be nicely placed over the arch I desperately wanted to shoot, while the late night vertical MW would nicely fit Eugenes preferred scene.
This is the result I got at "my" arch. We arrived there shortly after sunset and, while talking about how to set up the low level lighting, I noticed that Eugene was quite a perfectionist about it. We decided to light the scene with 3 LED panels and I let Eugene play with the lights. He kept shuffling them almost until the end of our shooting and, although he never was totally happy with his setup, I think he did an excellent job lighting the scene.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Foreground
6 x 30s @ISO1600
Sky
10 x 30s @ ISO1600, tracked
I am totally excited to have received my 5th NASA APOD publication.
The curators of the APOD site requested me to make an annotated version of my image. They it is visible as mouse-over on the APOD sitebut and I attached it together with the original version to this announcment.
Flashback to my visit in Grand Staircase-Escalante NM and to a perfect night at this photogenic arch.
Initially, I was joined by 3 more photographers, but after capturing the "classic" shot, they all left. Having the place to myself and with a few hours of darkness left, I moved my lights and experimented some lesser known perspectives.
The arch is less iconic when seen from this side, but I still like the composition together with the Milky Way core riding high above it.
How do you like it?
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
Stack of 3 x 100s @ISO1600, tracked
Foreground:
Stack of 3 x 100s @ISO1600
Another image from my June trip to the southwestern US. This one was taken in a very remote place in northern Arizona.
I was told by a friend that I would not see a human soul within miles of this place and he was right. The only sign of living beeings, apart from some old tire tracks, was the howling of coyotes.
Spending a night alone in a remote place is always something special. I am very focused while shooting and this makes all my senses extremely sensitive, which in combination with the deep silence and the incredibly dark skies makes for a very meditative and peaceful experience that can be extremely addictive.
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Foreground:
5 x 60s @ISO1600 f/2.4, stacked
Sky:
5 x 60s @ISO1600 f/2.4, tracked, stacked
My nightscaping expeditions to the US Southwest last normally about a week. As I do not take a computer along, my memory cards accumulate lots of data during my working nights.
After returning home, I try to remember what exposures looked most promising and I develop those images first. There is however lots of data that I put aside in the first processing run and these RAWs can contain some nice surprises when checking them later.
This image is such a case. I took it in spring 2017 and only recently discovered the folder containing the untouched RAWs on my harddrive. When I started working on them, I quickly realised that the data was excellent and that I liked the composition even better than my initial favorite...
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
3 x180s @ISO800, tracked
Foreground:
3 x 180s @ISO800
This is the famous glacial erratic near Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic NP.
In late August MW is positioned perfectly behind this interesting boulder and I therefore could not resit to capture it during my roadtrip following the August solar eclipse.
While Lassens skies are mostly very dark, the southwesterly direction is plagued be severe light pollution from the Sacramento area, producing the yellow glow on the horizon that completely eats up the stars.
EXIF
- Canon EOS 6D, Hutech astromodified
- Samyang 24mm f/2.4
- iOptron SkyTracker
- Low Level Lighting with 2 LED panels
Foreground:
3 x 50s @ISO 1600
untracked, stacked with PS
Sky:
3 x 50s @ ISO 1600
tracked, stacked with fitswork4
Thanks for all your faves and comments.
Prints available:
Lo Scorpione con IC4592 (Testa di cavallo azzurra) e il complesso nebulare Rho Ophiuchi.
31 maggio 2025
Località: Camping la Luna sul Trebbio - Modigliana (FC)
Samyang 35mm F/4 - QHY533C raffreddata -10
Skywatcher StarAdventurer - Pose non guidate
Filtro Baader UV/IR-cut 90x180"
Acquisizione: Astroart9 - Calibrata con Dark.
Elaborazione: Astroart9, Affinity Photo2, Graxpert e Paint Shop Pro2023.
I visited Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest for the first time in 2015, but I had no time to do nightscapes. Ever since, this place was very high on my bucket list. In August 2017, after a crazy drive from Lassen Volcanic NP, I was finally able to visit these ancient beauties again for some night shooting.
As expected, I was not alone, but fortunately the other photographers present were very experienced nightscapers and so we were able to work side by side without disturbing each other. When I asked if any of them had something against me illuminating the foreground with Low Level Lighting, they all immediately agreed that it was more than fine with them. So I finally got the shots I have been longing for so long...
EXIF
- Astro-modified Canon EOS 6D
- Samyang 24mm f/1.4
- iOptron SkyTracker
- Low Level Lighting with 2 LED panels
Foreground:
Stack of 3 x 50s @ ISO1600
Sky:
Stack of 3 x 50s @ ISO1600, tracked
Thanks for all your faves and comments.
Prints available:
This is an image part of the constellation Scorpius. It shows the bright yellow star Antares and Scorpius Head area with the colourful Rho Ophiuchi nebulosity field.
I took this image straight after I photographed the milkyway arch over Mt Ruapehu in my previous upload.
This image is a stack of 5 photos taken with my 105mm Sigma lens. Tracked for 60 secs each. ISO 3200, F/4. Stacked in Sequator and some PP in Affinity Photo.
The inset at the top left shows where you can find Rho Ophiuchi in the sky with reference to the brightest part (the core) of our galaxy.
If you are in an area dark enough you can see this constellation with your naked eye.
They stand under a brilliant sky with millions of stars, but these two telescopes at the Teide Observatory on Tenerife are dedicated to observing just one star.
The star under such close scrutiny is our Sun and the telescopes, called THEMIS (Télescope Héliographique pour l'Etude du Magnétisme et des Instabilités Solaires) and VTT (Vacuum Tower Telescope) are solar telescopes, used to research solar plasma flows and magnetic fields. As they are daylight telescopes, their cupolas are kept closed at night to protect the sensitive scientific instruments.
I certainly was severely fatigued during the last night of my astrophotography trip with @benjaminbarakat to the Canary Islands, but when I captured this image, I wondered whether these complex, but night blind instruments are aware of the magnificent show they miss at night...
EXIF
Canon EOS Ra
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L ll @ 50mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Vertical panora of 3 panels, each a stack of 10 x 90s @ ISO1600
Foreground:
Focus stacked paorama captured during twilight. 6 exposures of 5s @ ISO800.
The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex is one of the most colorful areas of the spring and summer night sky.
Here is another nightscape of Sunset Arch in Grand Staircase-Escalante NM.
It was my first capture of the night with the core section of MW just rising behind the dragon...
EXIF
Astromodified Canon EOS 6D
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker
Sky:
8 x 50s @ ISO1600, tracked
Stacked with fitswork4
Foreground:
5 x 50s @ ISO1600
Stacked with PS
Thanks for all your comments and faves
Prints available
The galactic center and the colorful constellation Scorpius are rising behind one of Grand Staircase-Escalantes most famous arches.
I recently posted an image of this arch that I captured when all other photographers had left. This image on the other hand, was shot before the other guys arrived.
I like beeing the first photographer on site, as it helps me to stay focused while installing my equipment and lights and sometimes, it also lets me capture images that are more unique than the standard shot from the place.
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
5 x50s @ISO1600, tracked
Foreground:
5 x50s @ISO1600
After driving 6 hours and scouting the place in the afternoon with perfect weather, I set up my lights at dusk, when a strong wind started blowing and thick clouds were rolling in.
With all those clouds, I was unable to set up my tracker, as it was impossible to see Polaris. I was asking myself, if I should call it a night, but as I had already set up most of my equipment, I decided to hang around for a while and hope for a break in the racing cloud cover.
After what felt like an eternity, I noticed a clear spot approaching from the south-west, moving towards where the core section of Milky Way was supposed to be and I started shooting away. My persistence payed and I was able to capture the rising core over the Temple of the Moon. After a few minutes, the clouds were back and getting even thicker. With no hope for another clearing, it was time to pack my stuff and get some sleep…
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
Stack of 6 x 12s @ ISO 6400, untracked
Low Level Lighting
I took this Milky Way panorama in a VERY remote place in northeren Arizona.
The drive to this place was exremely difficult and required a high clearance 4WD. It was the worst piece of driving I ever did, involving hard to follow tracks, deep sand and ditches and driving in a wash for several miles.
After shooting my nightscapes, I spent a restless night, because I was worriedthat I might not be able to make it back into civilisation without incidents the next day. I finally made it back, but I damaged my aft bumper on the way out.
Was it worth it? Definately!
EXIF
- Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
- Samyang 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2.8
- iOptron SkyTracker Pro
- Low Level Lighting
Sky:
11 panels of 5 x 45s @ ISO 6400
Foreground:
9 panels of 3 x 30s @ ISO 3200
Prints availble:
"Bryce Inspiration"
During my June trip I have been able to make my peace with Bryce Canyon, as I have found perfect conditions, after beeing skunked by clouds during my last 3 visits.
I started my night at Inspiration Point and was surprised that I had the place to myself after the the sunset crowds had left. I saw the lights of some photographers at Sunset Point, but my scouting showed, that Inspiration Point was the place to be for capturing the Milky Way bow rising above the canyon during the early stages of the night.
The plan worked nicely and as a bonus I got an awesome airglow display in addition to the colorful Milky Way above and canyon below.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Sigma 35mm f1.4 ART @ f/2.8
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
18 panel panorama:
- 9x tracked for the sky, 9x untracked for the foreground
- each panel is a stack of 5 x 30s @ ISO 6400
Prints available:
htpps://ralf-rohner.pixels.com
The spring Milky Way is bowing over a remote canyon in the US Southwest.
Green and red atmospheric airglow, red and blue astronomic nebulas and millions of colorful stars collaborate in colorizing the incredibly dark desert sky.
Below this heavenly display, some red and white striped sandstone rocks make the scene look like was taken from an alien world, instead of the country with stars and stripes in its flag.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
14 panel panorama
Sky:
7 stacks of 5 tracked exposures of 30s @ISO3200
Foreground:
7 stacks of 6 exposures of 10s @ISO 6400
I can hardly believe that more than a year has passed since my visit to the petrified tree in Bisti Badlands. April 2017 has been an incredibly productive month for me and it is very frustrating that I did not have one single chance to capture the Milky Way in April this year.
I am therefore looking forward to May and hope that I will get my chance to make up for the missed opportunities.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron Skytracker
Low Level Lighting
Foreground:
4 x 60s @ ISO 800
Sky:
6 x 60s @ ISO 800, tracked
Prints available:
"I look up. And I am surrounded by the universe.
silence
and stars
A million suns stretch out beyond me, their light piercing the darkness."
Beth Revis, A Million Suns
This beehive-shaped klin is one of 6 chorcoal ovens near Ely, Nevada. Their shape was specifically designed to more efficiently burn pinyon pine and juniper into charcoal, in order to support the local mining production. They were in operation for a short period from 1876 until 1879, when mining operations ended.
During clear nights however, the fires still seem to burn, fueled by millions of stars, while the galaxtic dust is mimicking smoke coming out of the ovens.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Stack of 8 x 30s @ ISO6400
Foreground:
Stack of 13 x 50s @ ISO3200
During my Los Angeles layover in early February, I captured my first Milky Way panorama of the current core season.
I have shot at Trona Pinnacles before, but this is the first time I captured a panorama that gives an overview of the stunning foreground structures.
Despite being classified as a bortle 2 area, light pollution is pretty strong. You can see two distinct light domes. The middle one is from Las Vegas (130 miles) and the right one from Los Angeles (100 miles). The blueish glow on the very left is from the mines in Trona.
EXIF
Canon EOS Ra
Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
8 panel panorama. Each a stack of 6 x 30s @ ISO1600, f/2 unfiltered + 3 x 60s @ ISO6400, f/1.4, filtered
Foreground:
8 panel panorama. Each 5s @ ISO100, f/8 during blue hour
I visited Mexican Hat in spring 2017 and spent a very windy night, shooting the famous Hat Rock under the starry skies.
While I have published a few shots from that night, I was not very happy with most final processed images. Recently I stumbled over one of these less than perfect captures and found that the RAWs did not look bad at all. I therefore reprocessed the image from scratch. I like the result much better now, but it also makes me question my processing skills from two years ago.
I guess I'll have to go back and recheck some of my old shots...
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker
Sky:
5 x 100s @ ISO3200, f/2.8
Foreground:
5 x 60s @ ISO1600, f/1.4
Last week, I finally had the chance to capture my first view of this year’s Spring Milky Way over Switzerland. Thanks to a weather phenomenon known as Alpine Foehn, conditions were ideal. This warm, dry wind forms when moist air from the south rises over the Alps, shedding its moisture as rain or snow on the southern slopes. As the drier air descends on the northern side, it warms up, often resulting in remarkably clear skies.
During such Foehn events, a dense cloud bank typically hugs the peaks of the main Alpine ridge - constantly forming and dissolving in a delicate balance.
In this image, the vivid hues of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex and the dark tendrils of the Pipe Nebula, part of the Dark Horse, ascend gracefully above the lingering wall of cloud cloaking the snowy Alpine summits.
EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by EOS 4Astro
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L ll @ 70mm
Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
@Sunwayfoto T2840CK tripod
Sky:
Stack of 20x 90s @ ISO1600, clear filter & 5x 180s @ ISO6400, IDAS NBZ
Foreground:
Stack of 5x 90s @ ISO3200
Most creatures I meet at night are well tempered, but there are a few exceptions. This gargoyle obviously wasn't in his best mood and I decided to let him silently screem at the universe without further enquiry.
Prints available:
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro-modified
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART
iOptron SkyTracker
Low Level Lighting
Sky
6 x 50s @ ISO 1600, tracked
Foreground
3 x 50s @ ISO1600
Grand-Staircase Escalante has some of the darkest skies I have ever seen. The lack of light pollution in combination with very dry and clear air makes the atmosphere perfectly transparent and lets the starlight pass without washing out contrast. Under these extraordinary conditions a camera can capture the colors of darkness.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Sigma 35mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTraker
Low Level Lighting
Foreground:
3 x 50s @ ISO1600, fixed tripod
Sky:
5 x 50s @ ISO1600, tracked
Prints available:
ralf-rohner.pixels.com
Last new moon in March I headed up into the Avon Valley town of Toodyay to capture this beautiful church under the Milkyway rising above it.
This is the first time I’ve used focal length blending in Photoshop to create a composite image of one foreground at 20mm and 12 frames in four panels at 50mm which were stacked then stitched and blended in PS. I managed to include the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex at the top and the path leading to the church doors completed my composition.
This image is of St Philips church, Culham and is located beneath a hillside which was windy and the roof of the church is held down by steel howsers which made an eerie sound when the wind whistled over it which was a little unnerving!
How I took this image:-
Sky 12 frames tracked and stacked f2.2 60s ISO800
Foreground f2.2 90s ISO3200
Camera 📷 Nikon Z6ii
Lens Nikkor 20mm 1.8S
I spent a cholla good night between these spiny little guys. Don't be fooled by the cuddly appearance of the Cholla Cactus (Cylindropuntia bigelovii), though. Their soft appearance is due to their solid mass of very formidable spines that completely cover the stems, leading to its sardonic nickname of "teddy bear cactus".
I was very careful not to touch any cactus, but my shoes were not that successful and there still are quite a few spines sticking in their soles.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
3 panel vertical panorama, each a stack of 30x 60s @ ISO1600
Foreground:
Focus stack of 6x 5s @ ISO100, f/8 during blue hour
The colorful Rho Ophichui cloud complex is one the closest star forming regions in our Milky Way and a favorite target for astrophotography. Highlighted by the bright star Antares, the region provides an impressive spectacle of colorful glowing gases, juxtaposed with converging dark rivers of thick dust.
IC 4604 (Rho Ophiuchi Nebula) is a large diffuse nebula of 5th magnitude located in the southwestern corner of the constellation Ophiuchus (Serpent Bearer), surrounding the bright multiple star system ρ (Rho) Ophiuchi. Several regions of bright and dark nebulosity surround the area, which takes its name from ρ Oph.
At the mid-northern lattitudes, I normally work from, it plays a bit hard to get, as it always rides close to the horizon and is only visible for a few hours during nights from spring to mid summer.
During my Namibia trip in 2023, I had the pleasure to shoot this wonderful area riding high in the unspoiled southern hemisphere sky.
EXIF
Canon EOS-Ra
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM ll @ 135mm
Equatoriallly mounted Skywatcher AZ-GTI
IDAS 12 filter
30x 90s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 10x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered
Rho Ophiuchi
A 2 panel mosaic recorded with a Rokinon 135mm F2 and QSI583.
Panel 1 @F2.8:
L: 6x300s
RGB: (6, 6, 6)x300s
Panel 2 @F2.8:
L: 8x300s
RGB: (8, 8, 5)x300s
Copyright: R. Colombari
_______________________________
Explanation: Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue reflection nebulae. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae. Backlit dust clouds block starlight and so appear dark. Antares, a red supergiant and one of the brighter stars in the night sky, lights up the yellow-red clouds on the lower center of the featured image. Rho Ophiuchi lies at the center of the blue nebula on the left. The distant globular cluster M4 is visible to the upper right of center. These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see, emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Source: APOD
This battle is pretty unfair, because the poor cricket is attacked by two scorpions. Fully focused on his earthly adversary, he does not seem to be aware of the looming danger from above...
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
Stack of 6 x 30s @ISO1600 f/2, tracked
Foreground:
Stack of 6 x 60s @ISO1600 f/2
While I would love to witness the unspoiled skies the dinosaurs saw some 70 million years ago, todays light pollution seems an acceptable price to pay for not risking
to encounter these two terrifying guys in reality.
The T-Rex sculptures in Borrego Springs are part of a huge collection of metal art from the artist Ricardo Breceda.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sky:
8 x 30s @ ISO1600
Foreground:
5 x 60s @ ISO 1600
I visited Penguin Rock in JoshuaTree NP for the first time in 2012 and did some of my first dabblings in landscape astrophotography. I did not have much of a clue what I was doing back then and tried to capture some star trails under a very bright moon. Unsurprisingly, I was never happy with my results.
Ever since, I have been longing to go back and shoot the Milky Way with the gnarly Juniper tree leaning over the standing rock. After almost 10 years, I finally got my chance this February. The early core season offered only a short time window to capture the rising Milky Way in the right position, but fortunately, the sky conditions played along nicely.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS Ra
Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Stack of 6 x 30s @ ISO1600 f/2, unfiltered + stack of 3 x 60s @ ISO6400, filtered
Foreground:
Focus stack of 6 exposures during blue hour. Each 5s @ ISO100 f/8
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, have spent most nights over the last week shooting this crazy part of the sky. Have played around with so much different software for processing and this is a mix of all sorts . i have spent way too long messing with this that now my eyes hurt. Rho Ophiuchi is a multiple star system in the constellation Ophiuchus. The central system has an apparent magnitude of 4.63. Based on the central system's parallax of 9.03 mas, it is located about 360 light-years away. The other stars in the system are slightly farther away. Wikipedia
I am totally excited to have received my 5th NASA APOD publication.
The curators of the APOD site requested me to make an annotated version of my image. They it is visible as mouse-over on the APOD sitebut and I attached it together with the original version to this announcment.
Spring is taking it very slow this year in the Swiss Alps. 2021 has brought Switzerland the coldest spring since 1987, with temperatures at least 2.5°C below long term average. The southern location of the jet stream over Europe is responsible for the cold weather here, while it also brings record high temperatures to Western Siberia.
The cold air causes lots of clouds and precipitation and makes for few opportunities to do astrophotography. Fortunately, the grey weather doesn't affect the beautiful colors of the spring sky, if the clouds decide to part.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L @ 50mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
15 x 90s @ ISO1600, tracked
Foreground:
5 x 90s @ ISO3200
The Rho Ophiuchi area was imaged from a dark sky location outside of Captain Cook, HI. My tracking was a bit off due to Polaris being low on the horizon and behind a tree. With my small travel tripod, there is a bit of trailing in the corners. The image was made of 35 fifteen second exposures taken with A Canon R6 Mark II and a Canon 200 mm f/2.8L II lens. (ISO 6400, f/3.2)