View allAll Photos Tagged STARSCAPE
Have you ever wondered what it was like to do astronomy 500 years ago, when the sky was still dark and unspoiled?
To get the feeling, me and my astro buddies Alex Forst and Benjamin Barakat dragged a replica of an anient telescope to one of the darkest spots in the Swiss Alps and Alex perfected the illusion by putting on a baroque dress. I think he looks like Giordano Bruno, but considering his fate, Alex insited he would rather be Kopernikus...
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Level Lighting
Sky:
6 x 45s @ISO1600
Foreground:
Focus stack of 6 x 90s + one single exposure of 15s @ISO1600
The name of this chapel is 'St. Joseph on the Mountain' and the image is, therefore, a perfect fit for yesterday's Saint Joseph's Day.
EXIF
Canon EOS Ra
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Foreground:
Single exposure 60s @ ISO800
Sky:
2 panel vertical panorama, each a stack of 10 x 60s @ ISO800 & 5 x 120s @ ISO3200
I took this image on the evening after the total solar eclipse in August 2017. After a horrible 7hrs drive in the biggest traffic jam I ever experienced, I arrived at Lake Laurance just before nightfall.
After the crowds around Madras during the eclipse, I was pleasantly surprised that I was almost alone at the campground on the shore of this tranquil lake. After setting up my tent and cooking my dinner, I was lucky to be able to capture my planned Milky Way image, as I was totally smoked in when I woke up the next day…
EXIF
Astro-modified Canon EOS 6D
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker
Foreground:
4 x 100s @ ISO 1600
Sky:
6 x 50s @ ISO 1600
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
The Daymark was built in 1864 by the Dartmouth Harbour Commissioners, Devon . This hollow octagonal tower rises to 80ft (24m) high on tall arched legs. It was built as a guide to mariners to the position of the hazardous harbour entrance.
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
This probably is one of the most photographed trees in the world. Therefore, this is far from a unique composition, but some scenes are so epic that you just have to try your hand on them. I hope that my version does this ancient beauty justice!
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART
3 x 30s @ ISO1600 for the sky
4 x 30s @ ISO1600 for the foreground
iOptron Skytracker
Low Level Lighing
Prints available:
The Milky Way rises above a distinctive, sandcastle-shaped rock formation in Badlands National Park. Following a partly cloudy day, the remaining clouds began to clear just as the galatic core emerged on the horizon. Vibrant bands of green and red airglow illuminate the lower sky, while the colorful Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex and the Zeta Ophiuchi Nebula add a surreal touch to the celestial scene.
EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by EOS 4Astro
Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART
IDAS NBZ-Filter with Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Low Level Lighting
Sunwayfoto T2840CK tripod
Foreground:
Focus stack of 6x 15s @ ISO400
Sky:
Panorama of 3 panels, each a stack of 7x 45s @ ISO1600, clear filter & 3 x 105s @ ISO6400, IDAS NBZ
Namibia is renowned for its breathtakingly dark skies, iconic landscapes, and remarkable flora and fauna. These natural wonders can be experienced in comfort from luxurious lodges that seamlessly integrate with the stunning surroundings.
Thankfully, many of these lodges employ responsible nighttime lighting, helping to preserve the pristine night sky. This thoughtful approach makes it possible to capture stunning nightscapes directly from the lodge premises, a feature I thoroughly enjoyed during my 2023 family vacation in Namibia.
One such lodge is Camp Kipwe, located near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein Valley. Camp Kipwe serves as an excellent base for exploring the famous desert elephants of the Huab River and visiting the ancient petroglyphs.
After a fulfilling yet demanding day that included a six-hour safari and a visit to the petroglyphs, I was able to conveniently capture the beauty of the night sky just a few steps from our bungalow.
EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified
Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
Panorama of 2 panels, each a stack of 7x 90s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 3x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered
Foreground:
Focus stack of 4x 3s @ ISO800 during twilight
Badwater Basin in Death Valley, known as the hottest place on Earth at an elevation of 282 ft below sea level is without doubt a photographers paradise. This photograph of the Milky Way was taken at 11pm and the temperature was still 45 C! To say it was hot is an understatement. It was literally like being inside a blast furnace - and i loved it. A huge learning curve required for Astrophotography but after this humbling experience it has left me hungry for more. Now for the technical. This single image capture was taken with a Samyang/Rokinon 24mm f1,4 @ iso 4000 with a 15 sec exposure. A great lens which will require some practice to do it justice. For a first attempt i couldn't be more pleased. The forground light by the way was created by the headlights of a car which just happened to be leaving the site as i opened the shutter. A very lucky coincidence.
Milky Way rising over the Wings area in New Mexico’s Bisti Badlands.
Spring is my preferred season to do MW nightscapes, as nothing beats the look of the low lying MW arch, rising behind an interesting landscape.
The problem is that you have to shoot this from a very dark sky site, as light pollution can easily outshine the low lying stars. In this panorama you can see the light dome of Farmington NM, located almost 40 miles north of Bisti, overpowering all stars on the left horizon.
EXIF
- Astro-modified Canon EOS 6D
- Samyang 24mm f/1.4
- LowLevel Lighting with 2 LED panels and 2 omnidirectional lights
- Untracked 6 panel panorama, each a stack of 5 x 12s @ ISO6400, individually stacked for the foreground (PS) and sky (fitswork)
- Stitched with PTGui
Thanks for all your comments and faves!
Prints available:
The end of the Milky Way seems to come to rest on one of the many unique and unusual hoodoo formations found within the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico.
featured on Flickr at #79 29 May 2017
Milky Way rising above the Tschuggen Observatory in Arosa, Switzerland.
Capturing the rising core section of our galaxy in February from Switzerland is no easy task. The time window at 47°N is just 30 minutes before astronomic dawn and due to the omnipresent light pollution, you have to shoot from the mountains. Of course, the weather has to play along as well and if the skies are clear for once, it tends to be freezing cold at night.
Around New Moon, I was snowshoeing to Tschuggen Hill twice, only to witness how the weather can suddenly change in the alpine environment and finding me completely engulfed in freezing fog. During my third attempt, it finally stayed clear, causing the temperature to drop to -20°C (-5°F). I am not sure who suffered more, my toes or my equipment....
Despite a frozen ball head, a frozen aperture ring and severely cold toes and fingers I was able to finally work with my new light pollution filter and capture this panorama of the early season Milky Way over one of my favorite spots in Switzerland.
Prints available:
Starscape over the snowy La Sal mountains and the Colorado River canyon country - Lone Mesa, Grand County, Utah
{ L } Lightbox view is best
© All Rights Reserved
As I am currently locked out of my other account, that I use for my Astro Photography, I thought I would load an image here.
The radar tracking station on Titterstone Clee Hill, under a full moon. The cluster of stars are the Pleiades, also known as The Seven Sisters, the brightest star to the right of them is actually Mars
An unexpected guest really! We don´t experience this phenomena very often in my part of Sweden. But this week the light have been coming and going now and then but I have missed it every time. Pure luck I saw the light this time because I had already packed my stuff after having shot the milky way when I saw it behind me. So of course I had to unpack again and shoot it :)
Explored 20150912 Thank you for all views, faves and comments!
Capturing the Milky Way over Mt. Rainier was one of my main missions during my August trip to the PNW.
While scouting Sunrise Point in the afternoon, I was a bit worried, as there conditions were very smoky…
Luckily, the smoke seemed to affect the scene less at night, when the view of Mt. Rainier was surprisingly clear. The Milky Way core with the setting Antares region, flanked by Arcturus on the far right and bright Mars on the left, were all nicely visible. As a special treat, an early Perseid appeared at just the right time and place…
You cannot ask for much better conditions.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Tracked 10-panel panorama
Foreground:
5 x stack of 3 exposures, each 50s @ ISO 1600
Sky:
5 x stack of 3 exposures, each 30s @ ISO 1600, tracked
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:
The roofless ruin of Wheel Betsy Engine House makes a great frame for the passing Milky Way. Lying on your back staring skyward, surrounded by the damp decaying walls, it hits you how transitory human life and enterprise is. Entropy has a faster course down here.
In June I spent an extremely productive night in Borrego Springs, shooting nightscapes of the famous "Sky Art" sculptures.
Today, I was honored by a comment on my instagram stream from Ricardo Breceda - the artist who created these stunning sculptures. For more information about his work, check ricardobreceda.com
I cannot think of a better reason to post another nightscape from his stunning creatures.
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/2.4, tracked
Foreground
Stack of 6 x 60s @ISO1600 f/2.4
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a satellite dwarf galaxy of the Milky Way that is among the closest galaxies to Earth. At about 163,000 light-years from Earth, the dwarf galaxy looks like a faint cloud in Southern Hemisphere skies. It lies on the border of the constellations Dorado and Mensa.
These medieval structures, dotting the fileds and olive plantations, are a landmark of Southern Italy. They are called "furnieddhu" and were built in the dry wall technique typical for the zone. Farmers used them as shelters and to store their harvest.
During my August visit in the Salento region of Italy, I went to this furnieddhu, because it lines up perfectly with the vertical Milky Way and stands in a relatively dark part of this heavily light polluted region. What I did not know, was that a very popular open air discotheque is located on the other side of the road and bathing the structure with bright LED lights.
Sometimes, you have to bow with the blow... I adapted my low level lighting and used the headlights of passing cars to match the brightness of the discotheques flood lights and to avoid harsh shadows and highlights on the walls.
Fortunately nor the brightly lit foreground, nor the loud music affected the sky quality.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTacker Pro
(not so) Low Level Lighting
Sky:
Stack of 10 x 15s @ ISO1600, f2, tracked
Foreground:
Stack of 8 x 15s @ ISO1600, f2
Sundial can be tracked back to ancient Egypt and Babylonia .Greeks having founded the science of geometry, and in particular discovering the conic sections that are traced by a sundial nodus build also the first mechanized clocks. Greek astronomer, Andronikos, supervised the construction of the Tower of the Winds in Athens in the first century B.C. The mathematician and astronomer Theodosius of Bithynia is said to have invented a universal sundial that could be used anywhere on Earth.
The spherical clock of the photo was made by amateur astronomers of the astronomical society of Sparta called Dioscouroi (Castor and Pollux in Gemini) and is based at 1420m on mountain of Parnonas. Clock shows true time, north pole, equinox, stars and sun that be at the zenith.
"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
another shot from my recent evening shoot at Cressbrook Dam - Queensland - Australia. I was lucky to get a break in the clouds as it had been raining and cloudy earlier in the day but the Norway weather service said that there would be no cloud between 7pm and 10pm so I took their advice and they were right. Funny, they are more accurate then the Australian weather service with Australian weather predictions - go figure! and it did get cloudy again around 10pm!
find them here: www.yr.no/
A proud and stout stand of pines at the mouth of the River Otter, Devon. They defy storm and erosive tides in their reach for the sky. Per ardua ad astra - indeed.
While it is still possible to capture the galactic core from central Europe in September, the window of opportunity is short and when shooting in the mountains, chances are high that the view of the core is blocked.
Luckily, the autumn sky has its own charm. The Milky Way is still bright enough to make a worthwile target and the reds of the Cygnus region provide a colorful contrast.
Last night, I have been shooting at this spot, but I had no time to process my images yet. Therefore I publish an image I took in September last year.
In my opinion Fälensee is one of the most scenic lakes in the Swiss Alps. Unfortunately its orientation does not allow to see the Milky Way core above this lake.
Some photographers reverted to composting, but I think they entirely missed the point: Nature is always more beautiful than what we can cook up. We just have to open eyes and our mind to recognize this.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
6 panel panorama
Sky:
4 panels each 5 x 25s @ ISO1600, tracked, stacked
Foreground:
2 panels each 3 x 50s @ ISO1600, stacked
'Towering Giants'
After the April 2024 solar eclipse, I headed to the Badlands National Park. It was a long and tiresome drive from Indiana to South Dakota. I finally arrived in the afternoon of the day after the eclipse and was glad to find many interesting compositions without the need for too much hiking.
The weather was partly cloudy and quite breezy, but later at night, it cleared almost completely, allowing me to capture this panorama of the rising Milky Way arc over the towering buttes near the Notch Trailhead.
EXIF
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by EOS 4Astro
Sigma 28mm f/2.8 ART
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Foreground:
Focus stacked panorama of 10 panels, each 5x 2s @ ISO400 during twilight
Sky:
Panorama of 10 panels, each a stack of 6x 45s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 3x 105s @ ISO6400, filtered
#badlands #badlandsnationalpark #southdakota #milkyway #starscape #nightphotography #nightsky #astrophotography #longexpoxsure #night #landscape
You may have seen some of my images from the Kreuzberge in the Alpstein Mountains. After capturing my planned compositions, the Milky Way core had set and I was ready to call it a night.
Before hittig the mat in my tent, I looked at the scene around and glorious sky above me. It was too dark to actually see more than a few peaks of my homeland, but my eyes followed the luminous band with millions of stars that forms our galactic home. The summer triangle was riding high above me and Cygnus was hugging the zenith. King Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia were ruling the northern sky, while I was just barely able to see her beautiful daughter Andromeda high in the east. Lowering my eyes to the eastern horizon, I saw the Pleiades rising, a clear sign that summer was ending soon.
Looking at the marvel above and around me, I felt totally at home me and I decided that the tent had to wait. Determined to capture the moment, I started shooting this huge panorama. In the end, it cost me almost 3 hours of sleep, but it was worth every minute.
The real ordeal started in post processing. I was able to stitch the sky, as a 360° spherical panorama, but how on earth can you project that over a foreground without squashing the uppermost stars into unrecognizable streaks? I was finally able to get a decent result by applying all my tricks and inventing a few new ones. The price I had to pay, was loosing about 20° along the edge of the image, making this 'only' a 340° panorama.
I hope you like it as much as I do.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 @ 15mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
20 panels, each a stack of 6 x 45s @ ISO1600
Foreground:
12 panels, each a stack of 6 x 45s @ ISO1600
A few years ago, I captured this little arch in the Californian desert during the Milky Way core season, but I have never seen any images from this place with the Winter Milky Way.
During my last Los Angeles layover, the moon phase was less than perfect for astrophotography. I however found that there was a short time window before moonrise, when Orion started showing above the arch and I decided to give it a try.
Thanks to the good sky quality, the red Hydrogen emission nebulae show very well, despite being close to the horizon. Rosette Nebula is peeking through the arch and on its right you can see part of Barnard's Loop, the Flame and Horsehead Nebula, Orion Nebula and hint if the faint Witchhead Nebula, a reflection nebula above the bright star Riegel. The Winter Milky Way with the huge Meissa Nebula, the Flaming Star Nebula and the California Nebula extends above the arch. The open clusters Hyades and Pleiades complete this tour of deep space wonders.
I was surprised to see how dense the air traffic was over this remote location. Several aircraft were criss-crossing through every single exposure and I therefore captured a higher number of exposures than I normally do for landscape astrophotography. Stacking them with a good rejection algorithm not only makes the image look very clean, it also got rid of the ugly aircraft trails.
EXIF
Canon EOS Ra
Canon EOS 6D, astro-modified
Sigma 28mm f/1.4
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
2 panel panorama, each 20x 60s @ ISO1600, f/2 with the EOS 6D
Foreground:
Focus stack of 6x 25s @ f/8 during twilight with EOS Ra.
Alien Throne catches the fading glow from the light of the setting sun, while overhead a thin layer of pink clouds partially veils the stars appearing in the twilight sky.
There are very few castles that fit the cliche of a fairytale castle better than Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley. It was built in the 16th century by king François l and Leanardo da Vinci was presumably one of its architects.
Castles are very difficult targets for nightscapes, as most of them are brightly illuminated at night. Chambord is no exception, but the illumination is more sophisticated than in other places. The lights are changing in color and brightness to simulate a circadian rythm.
I captured this image this week during a 5 day astrophotography trip to France with my buddy benjaminbarakat. We started to shoot during the blue hour and observed the illumination to understand its rythm. As expected, it was too bright to capture the stars and the castle in a single image, but every 7 minutes there was a sequence when the lights turned red and dimmed down within a few seconds, before they were momentarily switched off and brightened again with a blue tint.
This gave us roughly a 15s window to shoot single exposures and by varying the start and length of our exposures we were able to change the hue of the castle in the image. The pink light turned out to be my favorite. It is an effect of the long exposure combining the very last seconds of the red with the first few seconds of the blue illumination.
Prints available: ralf-rohner.pixels.com
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D astro modified
Samyang 24mm f/1.4
Single exposure of 10s @ ISO1600 f/2
When I first started doing photography a year ago, I was intrigued by the possibility to shoot the stars and the Milky Way...I love astronomy and everything sky related.
Even if this photo is not perfect, it means a lot to me...
Shot with a Canon 700d and Samyang 14mm f2.8, single 30" exposure at ISO 3200