The Milky Way

[Daniel Browning]

I took this photo of our Milky Way galaxy while attending the Oregon Star Party this year. I used the Canon 5D Mark I and 24mm f/1.4 L Mark I on an equatorial tracking mount. I think it was about 50 exposures, 30 seconds each, stacked in Deep Sky Stacker. The bright point of light is Jupiter, and the dark part is a horizons of trees blurred by the movement of the tracking mount.


I think it would be much improved by having more color information (I think I can get there with some good post-processing), and something interesting in the foreground.

[Bryan Carnathan]

That's very nice. If I had more time, night sky photography would be one of the things I would do with it.


Adding color might be a simple as increasing the saturation. As for the foreground subject, maybe you can add a layer - a child pointing to the sky for example.

[Daniel Browning]

Thanks for the suggestions, Bryan, Greg. Next time I hope to use a mount that will give me more flexbility in framing with relation to the horizon so I can do horizontal.

[Stephen Probert]

Wow, great shot! I looked into the equatorial tracking mount, looks like you can make one without too much trouble and the Dark Sky Stacker is free....would be great fun here in Flagstaff, the "first international dark sky city." Hmmmm....