🔭 13 Sunsets | 5 Years | 68° by
This is a composite of 13 sunsets photographed from the exact same viewpoint in Bucharest, Romania, from Herastrau Park (~ 44.5°N).Orientation:The camera is facing West. North is to the right side of the frame, and South is to the left. The sequence starts and ends at the Winter Solstice, so the collage closes a full cycle of the sunset position along the horizon. Mouse over to see the annotated version which is listing each month per panel.The science:Over the year, the Sun sets at different points on the horizon. From this location, the separation between the Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice sunset positions is about 68°. The shift is most noticeable around the equinoxes (the sunset point moves faster from week to week) and least noticeable near the solstices (where the movement appears to “slow down”).Why it took five years (Jan 2021 → Dec 2025):I wanted the key reference frames—solstices and equinoxes—captured on the actual day, not “close enough,” and I also needed consistent visibility and a comparable framing. Weather, haze, clouds, and timing made many attempts unusable, which is why this project stretched across five years.While researching similar work, I found only a handful of comparable monthly sunset/sunrise composite projects worldwide—likely under ten publicly documented in this specific “same-view, month-by-month stack” format. If you know of others, I’d love links.Every frame is unique:Even with the same viewpoint, each sunset looks different because the atmosphere changes - cloud structure, humidity, haze, and aerosols affect color, contrast, and the Sun’s apparent edge. As a side effect, this collage also documents time passing in the city: some trees grew, while others disappeared, and new buildings showed up. It’s been long enough that when I started the project I had no kids - now I’m raising two.Gear details and capture info:Nikon D5300, Nikkor 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6G ED, images taken at 35mm, f/11, ISO100, 1/3200, while each panorama has between 9-11 images in portrait orientation, everything handheld.Date and time of each panorama in the same order as pictured21 Dec 2021 - 14:03 UT20 Jan 2021 - 14:38 UT23 Feb 2021 - 15:39 UT20 Mar 2023 - 16:09 UT21 Apr 2021 - 16:45 UT23 May 2021 - 17:23 UT21 Jun 2021 - 17:40 UT21 Jul 2023 - 17:33 UT20 Aug 2021 - 16:50 UT22 Sep 2021 - 16:00 UT24 Oct 2021 - 15:03 UT21 Nov 2021 - 14:14 UT21 Dec 2025 – 13:54 UT
afdumitriuThis is a composite of 13 sunsets photographed from the exact same viewpoint in Bucharest, Romania, from Herastrau Park (~ 44.5°N).Orientation:The camera is facing West. North is to the right side of the frame, and South is to the left. The sequence starts and ends at the Winter Solstice, so the collage closes a full cycle of the sunset position along the horizon. Mouse over to see the annotated version which is listing each month per panel.The science:Over the year, the Sun sets at different points on the horizon. From this location, the separation between the Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice sunset positions is about 68°. The shift is most noticeable around the equinoxes (the sunset point moves faster from week to week) and least noticeable near the solstices (where the movement appears to “slow down”).Why it took five years (Jan 2021 → Dec 2025):I wanted the key reference frames—solstices and equinoxes—captured on the actual day, not “close enough,” and I also needed consistent visibility and a comparable framing. Weather, haze, clouds, and timing made many attempts unusable, which is why this project stretched across five years.While researching similar work, I found only a handful of comparable monthly sunset/sunrise composite projects worldwide—likely under ten publicly documented in this specific “same-view, month-by-month stack” format. If you know of others, I’d love links.Every frame is unique:Even with the same viewpoint, each sunset looks different because the atmosphere changes - cloud structure, humidity, haze, and aerosols affect color, contrast, and the Sun’s apparent edge. As a side effect, this collage also documents time passing in the city: some trees grew, while others disappeared, and new buildings showed up. It’s been long enough that when I started the project I had no kids - now I’m raising two.Gear details and capture info:Nikon D5300, Nikkor 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6G ED, images taken at 35mm, f/11, ISO100, 1/3200, while each panorama has between 9-11 images in portrait orientation, everything handheld.Date and time of each panorama in the same order as pictured21 Dec 2021 - 14:03 UT20 Jan 2021 - 14:38 UT23 Feb 2021 - 15:39 UT20 Mar 2023 - 16:09 UT21 Apr 2021 - 16:45 UT23 May 2021 - 17:23 UT21 Jun 2021 - 17:40 UT21 Jul 2023 - 17:33 UT20 Aug 2021 - 16:50 UT22 Sep 2021 - 16:00 UT24 Oct 2021 - 15:03 UT21 Nov 2021 - 14:14 UT21 Dec 2025 – 13:54 UT
🔭 Off the Shoulder of the Seagull by
My first proper image from the new Beamtech CDK250 telescope, 1450mm focal length, f/5.8. This is Sh2-293 shot at Hawker, South Australia over 2 windy nights. I had seen some interesting details in this area, and also some nearby bright stars, I wanted to see if they would cause issues, they didn’t!Processing assistance from Paul Montague!
ian_inverarityMy first proper image from the new Beamtech CDK250 telescope, 1450mm focal length, f/5.8. This is Sh2-293 shot at Hawker, South Australia over 2 windy nights. I had seen some interesting details in this area, and also some nearby bright stars, I wanted to see if they would cause issues, they didn’t!Processing assistance from Paul Montague!
🔭 Fireball with ash by
What's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically blows this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving no visible trace after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will eventually settle down to the Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December, coincident with the Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, while in the foreground is fog-engulfed Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of eastern China.
astrohenryWhat's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically blows this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving no visible trace after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will eventually settle down to the Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December, coincident with the Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, while in the foreground is fog-engulfed Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of eastern China.
🔭 The Fading Shockwave of SNR G156.2+5.7 by
SNR G156.2+5.7 is a faint and evolved supernova remnant located in the constellation Auriga.This image attempts to reveal the delicate shock fronts forming a large, nearly spherical shell as the expanding remnant interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium.G156.2+5.7 is estimated to be about 10000 years old and lies at a distance of around 5500 light years.I was not aware of the H-alpha filaments in the bottom right corner of my image and they kind of interfered with my framing but I also didn’t want to crop them out. I’m curious if they are extended structures of G156.2+5.7 or belong to something else.As always, more data would’ve been great but it’s time to move on before galaxy season kicks in!Thanks for looking and clear skies!
ShotsByStefanSNR G156.2+5.7 is a faint and evolved supernova remnant located in the constellation Auriga.This image attempts to reveal the delicate shock fronts forming a large, nearly spherical shell as the expanding remnant interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium.G156.2+5.7 is estimated to be about 10000 years old and lies at a distance of around 5500 light years.I was not aware of the H-alpha filaments in the bottom right corner of my image and they kind of interfered with my framing but I also didn’t want to crop them out. I’m curious if they are extended structures of G156.2+5.7 or belong to something else.As always, more data would’ve been great but it’s time to move on before galaxy season kicks in!Thanks for looking and clear skies!
🔭 Jupiter & Io 15/01/2026 by
This represents the first planetary capture of 2026, after an extended period of unfavorable atmospheric conditions. Despite the presence of dense high-altitude clouds, the seeing was finally good. I was able to record several videos during a window of peak stability. The amount of detail visible on the disk and the moon is remarkable; Jupiter never ceases to amaze.
Gabriele80This represents the first planetary capture of 2026, after an extended period of unfavorable atmospheric conditions. Despite the presence of dense high-altitude clouds, the seeing was finally good. I was able to record several videos during a window of peak stability. The amount of detail visible on the disk and the moon is remarkable; Jupiter never ceases to amaze.
🔭 NGC 2264 - Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula (RGB+Ha) by
Happy Holidays! 🎄This was data collected by the team from January to December 2024. It was the best 52 hours out of the 92 hours collected (lots of high clouds). The RGB alone was pretty awesome and then the Ha enhanced nicely. I spent a long time experimenting with the VeraLux stretch noscript in PI.
ktastroHappy Holidays! 🎄This was data collected by the team from January to December 2024. It was the best 52 hours out of the 92 hours collected (lots of high clouds). The RGB alone was pretty awesome and then the Ha enhanced nicely. I spent a long time experimenting with the VeraLux stretch noscript in PI.
🔭 Intense Nothern lights over Poland with meteor by
Last night was quite a whirlwind. Originally, I was supposed to test new equipment and take photos of the Orion sky, but a strong wind effectively prevented me from doing so. The compensation turned out to be the most beautiful aurora I have ever seen from our region (around Prudnik, Poland).The aurora was perfectly visible to the naked eye, with red pillars and a rapidly developing green belt clearly visible.A bright meteor also flew across the frame.The aurora was then accompanied by other phenomena, such as a SAR (Stable Auroral Arc) and the best of the night: bright green IPA (Isolated Proton Aurora) ribbons.This photo is an 8-panel panorama.
cmkLast night was quite a whirlwind. Originally, I was supposed to test new equipment and take photos of the Orion sky, but a strong wind effectively prevented me from doing so. The compensation turned out to be the most beautiful aurora I have ever seen from our region (around Prudnik, Poland).The aurora was perfectly visible to the naked eye, with red pillars and a rapidly developing green belt clearly visible.A bright meteor also flew across the frame.The aurora was then accompanied by other phenomena, such as a SAR (Stable Auroral Arc) and the best of the night: bright green IPA (Isolated Proton Aurora) ribbons.This photo is an 8-panel panorama.
🔭 2025/09/07 - The Layers of Earth's Atmosphere during Lunar Eclipse by
The Lunar eclipse of September 7th in a HDR composition, captured under poor seeing conditions. This shot features a very interesting phenomenon : the projection of the higher layer of the earth’s atmosphere onto the Moon, by the Sun, creating both violet and blue fringes at the edge of our planet’s shadow. Even though it’s not a perticularly rare event (being present during almost every lunar eclipse), it is rarely highlighted because of the high dynamic range needed to properly display it. This shot was made using two images : one lucky imaged for the section exposed to direct sunlight and a longer exposure-based part for the eclipsed part. The two images were HDRed together in Photoshop, with the whole Moon balanced to be at around the same brightness. A strongly advise you to take a look at the negative of the image, which shows better the evolution of the rayleigh scattering on the shadow as the Sun’s light goes through an increasing amount of atmosphere.
YYoshipsThe Lunar eclipse of September 7th in a HDR composition, captured under poor seeing conditions. This shot features a very interesting phenomenon : the projection of the higher layer of the earth’s atmosphere onto the Moon, by the Sun, creating both violet and blue fringes at the edge of our planet’s shadow. Even though it’s not a perticularly rare event (being present during almost every lunar eclipse), it is rarely highlighted because of the high dynamic range needed to properly display it. This shot was made using two images : one lucky imaged for the section exposed to direct sunlight and a longer exposure-based part for the eclipsed part. The two images were HDRed together in Photoshop, with the whole Moon balanced to be at around the same brightness. A strongly advise you to take a look at the negative of the image, which shows better the evolution of the rayleigh scattering on the shadow as the Sun’s light goes through an increasing amount of atmosphere.
🔭 IC 1274 by
And now the other interesting object from the same data of my last image. Here I clearly worked out the bluish reflection areas while processing. I also wanted to have this target isolated as a portrait, because it is a stunning combination of reflection and emission nebula. Hope you like it.
ChristophorusAnd now the other interesting object from the same data of my last image. Here I clearly worked out the bluish reflection areas while processing. I also wanted to have this target isolated as a portrait, because it is a stunning combination of reflection and emission nebula. Hope you like it.
🔭 IC417 - Spider Nebula LRGBHSO by
A LRGBHSO work of the Spider Nebula with an integration time of 60.25 hours. This work was processed based on the LRGB color, and was augmented by HSO. In order to avoid excessive red color of dark structures and background, the Ha, in an appropriate proportion, was blended in the G channel and was subtracted by the B channel, ensuring that the structures and textures were remained.
Marshall_HuangA LRGBHSO work of the Spider Nebula with an integration time of 60.25 hours. This work was processed based on the LRGB color, and was augmented by HSO. In order to avoid excessive red color of dark structures and background, the Ha, in an appropriate proportion, was blended in the G channel and was subtracted by the B channel, ensuring that the structures and textures were remained.
🔭 M33 (310 hours LRGBHO) by
M33的310小时LRGBHO六通道合成照片是在2023年至2025年的三年间积累完成的，清晰地展示了M33周围暗云的结构。经过超过60小时的制作，达到了预期的效果，非常令人满意。这部作品由我的朋友王祖明和我共同拍摄。
XCS.voiceM33的310小时LRGBHO六通道合成照片是在2023年至2025年的三年间积累完成的，清晰地展示了M33周围暗云的结构。经过超过60小时的制作，达到了预期的效果，非常令人满意。这部作品由我的朋友王祖明和我共同拍摄。
🔭 NGC 1232 – The Eye of God Galaxy by
NGC 1232 is a large spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus, about 50 million light-years away from Earth. Seen almost perfectly face-on, its symmetric structure is beautifully revealed: a bright golden core surrounded by sweeping spiral arms, forming the appearance of a vast cosmic eye gazing into the universe—hence its popular nickname, the Eye of God Galaxy.With a diameter approaching 200,000 light-years, NGC 1232 displays extensive blue clusters of young stars, pink star-forming regions, and intricate dark dust lanes along its spiral arms. From the yellowish population of older stars in its core to the vibrant, newly formed stars in its outer regions, the galaxy exhibits a striking color gradient that reflects its ongoing stellar birth activity.Multi-wavelength observations indicate that NGC 1232 is enveloped by widespread gaseous structures. It may have experienced past encounters with smaller satellite galaxies, reshaping its gas distribution and triggering localized star formation, leaving behind invisible yet dynamically active imprints within the system.The nearby galaxy NGC 1232A, though visually adjacent, lies at a significantly different distance and shows no evidence of true interaction—it is merely a line-of-sight coincidence. The months around December offer an excellent window to observe NGC 1232. When we gaze upon this 200,000-light-year-wide cosmic eye, we are witnessing a galaxy whose evolutionary story is still being written.
mjrtNGC 1232 is a large spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus, about 50 million light-years away from Earth. Seen almost perfectly face-on, its symmetric structure is beautifully revealed: a bright golden core surrounded by sweeping spiral arms, forming the appearance of a vast cosmic eye gazing into the universe—hence its popular nickname, the Eye of God Galaxy.With a diameter approaching 200,000 light-years, NGC 1232 displays extensive blue clusters of young stars, pink star-forming regions, and intricate dark dust lanes along its spiral arms. From the yellowish population of older stars in its core to the vibrant, newly formed stars in its outer regions, the galaxy exhibits a striking color gradient that reflects its ongoing stellar birth activity.Multi-wavelength observations indicate that NGC 1232 is enveloped by widespread gaseous structures. It may have experienced past encounters with smaller satellite galaxies, reshaping its gas distribution and triggering localized star formation, leaving behind invisible yet dynamically active imprints within the system.The nearby galaxy NGC 1232A, though visually adjacent, lies at a significantly different distance and shows no evidence of true interaction—it is merely a line-of-sight coincidence. The months around December offer an excellent window to observe NGC 1232. When we gaze upon this 200,000-light-year-wide cosmic eye, we are witnessing a galaxy whose evolutionary story is still being written.
🔭 Johnny The Fox by
Here is another short one taken with the EQ1000 last night, as it unexpectedly cleared for a few hours. The seeing was quite good but there where some thin clouds going through from time to time. When I stacked the data this morning I thought it is actually quite ok for the given conditions so I processed it in the 37 degrees celsius afternoon heat🤣Hope you enjoy it.Wolfgang
Wolfgang-PromperHere is another short one taken with the EQ1000 last night, as it unexpectedly cleared for a few hours. The seeing was quite good but there where some thin clouds going through from time to time. When I stacked the data this morning I thought it is actually quite ok for the given conditions so I processed it in the 37 degrees celsius afternoon heat🤣Hope you enjoy it.Wolfgang
🔭 Daytime Cloudy Moon by
Taken early in the afternoon in full daylight. The clouds are normally the enemy of us astrophotographers, but just for 1/60th of a second I made friends with them. Despite this not being a night shot, a few features on the moon are clearly visible, such as the Montes Apenninus mountains. I was pleased with the slightly disorientating optical effect where the moon appeared to be among the clouds rather than behind them. Focal length 600mm. f/18. 1/60sec, ISO100
Jeremy_PhillipsTaken early in the afternoon in full daylight. The clouds are normally the enemy of us astrophotographers, but just for 1/60th of a second I made friends with them. Despite this not being a night shot, a few features on the moon are clearly visible, such as the Montes Apenninus mountains. I was pleased with the slightly disorientating optical effect where the moon appeared to be among the clouds rather than behind them. Focal length 600mm. f/18. 1/60sec, ISO100
🔭 NGC 474 by
Site 1: Ljubovo (near Korenica), Croatia - 08.09.2024,19.09.2025, 20.09.2025 - SQM: ≈21.4Site 2: Gustirna (near Marina), Croatia - 01.11.2024 - SQM: ≈20.8Galaxy mosaic generated by Siril noscript with its redshift (z) number: The position of the galaxies by number is on this annotated image:https://app.astrobin.com/u/Ivo555?i=5qv38w&r=C
Ivo555Site 1: Ljubovo (near Korenica), Croatia - 08.09.2024,19.09.2025, 20.09.2025 - SQM: ≈21.4Site 2: Gustirna (near Marina), Croatia - 01.11.2024 - SQM: ≈20.8Galaxy mosaic generated by Siril noscript with its redshift (z) number: The position of the galaxies by number is on this annotated image:https://app.astrobin.com/u/Ivo555?i=5qv38w&r=C
🔭 OED1 - The Winged Sandals of Mercury (with starless rollover) by
I’ve long enjoyed imaging regions of the Vela Supernova Remnant, and I was particularly inspired by Aygen and Marcel’s discovery of OED-1 in this area. Finding such an unusual and faint object embedded within a well-studied region made it an irresistible target.This is my interpretation of this remarkable structure in Vela. It is extremely faint and filamentary, and proved challenging both in terms of signal extraction and colour balance. The object sits right at the limit of what the data will comfortably support, demanding careful processing to reveal the structure without pushing the noise too far. There appear to be only a small number of images of this object on AstroBin to date, suggesting it is not a target for the faint-hearted.Based on the relative strengths of the H-alpha and O III emissions, the feature may be an expanding shock front, with an estimated expansion velocity of around 100 km/s. This interpretation aligns well with its location within the broader Vela SNR complex and perhaps we are seeing a transient, high-energy interaction rather than a static nebular structure.As to what it is, Agen & Marcel said - The answer to this question remains unclear for the time being, but we believe it is likely due to the winds and radiation from a massive star. In fact, a few hypotheses can be put forward to explain the nature of the phenomenon. This unclassified object might be a planetary nebula, but the typical central star is still missing (no evidence of a white dwarf). One explanation might be that the star has already gone, and the bubble is the only trace left of it. In the same vein, it could stem from a nova, but again, no central star has been identified so far. To date, there is still no clear evidence regarding the nature of this object.Many thanks to my buddy Blue for running the data capture at our shared observatory in rural Victoria. Maybe it is just me, but after spending far too long staring at this data, all I can see now is a pair of Mercury’s winged sandals drifting quietly through Vela. 😀📷 Screenshot 2025-12-28 at 9.26.36 am.png📷 winged sandals.jpg
Andys_AstropixI’ve long enjoyed imaging regions of the Vela Supernova Remnant, and I was particularly inspired by Aygen and Marcel’s discovery of OED-1 in this area. Finding such an unusual and faint object embedded within a well-studied region made it an irresistible target.This is my interpretation of this remarkable structure in Vela. It is extremely faint and filamentary, and proved challenging both in terms of signal extraction and colour balance. The object sits right at the limit of what the data will comfortably support, demanding careful processing to reveal the structure without pushing the noise too far. There appear to be only a small number of images of this object on AstroBin to date, suggesting it is not a target for the faint-hearted.Based on the relative strengths of the H-alpha and O III emissions, the feature may be an expanding shock front, with an estimated expansion velocity of around 100 km/s. This interpretation aligns well with its location within the broader Vela SNR complex and perhaps we are seeing a transient, high-energy interaction rather than a static nebular structure.As to what it is, Agen & Marcel said - The answer to this question remains unclear for the time being, but we believe it is likely due to the winds and radiation from a massive star. In fact, a few hypotheses can be put forward to explain the nature of the phenomenon. This unclassified object might be a planetary nebula, but the typical central star is still missing (no evidence of a white dwarf). One explanation might be that the star has already gone, and the bubble is the only trace left of it. In the same vein, it could stem from a nova, but again, no central star has been identified so far. To date, there is still no clear evidence regarding the nature of this object.Many thanks to my buddy Blue for running the data capture at our shared observatory in rural Victoria. Maybe it is just me, but after spending far too long staring at this data, all I can see now is a pair of Mercury’s winged sandals drifting quietly through Vela. 😀📷 Screenshot 2025-12-28 at 9.26.36 am.png📷 winged sandals.jpg
🔭 NGC 2014 Region of the LMC (Cosmic Reef and Dragon's Head Nebulae) by
This is a revisit of a captivating region of the Large Magellanic Cloud in close-up with the new RC scope (with about a 15% crop). Amongst the named entities there is the Cosmic Reef, Dragon’s Head and Southern Seagull Nebulae. I think it’s the small rosette (NGC 2014) and rose bud-like nebulae (NGC 2040) along the bottom, that I find most intriguing. The region is easily photographed although relatively low in the sky from home in NSW, Australia, being circumpolar and reaching an altitude of 55°. It just means the window of quality imaging is reduced from a full night.This is a narrowband capture, processed using the Foraxx palette, with RGB stars. Mostly straight forward although I had to use a luminance channel to bring back some detail in areas and for this one, SII had the detail where needed compared to the other NB images or a super-luminance channel. The other difference to usual was star processing. Usually it is a light Arcsinh stretch to maintain colour followed by GHS to taste. This produced solid blobs of blown-out stars but using Arcsinh stretch with Histogram Transform seemed to produce much better results. There’s so many options!It would appear the scope is a keeper now - very glad I got it and would recommend.Thanks for looking.
LemonsqueezyThis is a revisit of a captivating region of the Large Magellanic Cloud in close-up with the new RC scope (with about a 15% crop). Amongst the named entities there is the Cosmic Reef, Dragon’s Head and Southern Seagull Nebulae. I think it’s the small rosette (NGC 2014) and rose bud-like nebulae (NGC 2040) along the bottom, that I find most intriguing. The region is easily photographed although relatively low in the sky from home in NSW, Australia, being circumpolar and reaching an altitude of 55°. It just means the window of quality imaging is reduced from a full night.This is a narrowband capture, processed using the Foraxx palette, with RGB stars. Mostly straight forward although I had to use a luminance channel to bring back some detail in areas and for this one, SII had the detail where needed compared to the other NB images or a super-luminance channel. The other difference to usual was star processing. Usually it is a light Arcsinh stretch to maintain colour followed by GHS to taste. This produced solid blobs of blown-out stars but using Arcsinh stretch with Histogram Transform seemed to produce much better results. There’s so many options!It would appear the scope is a keeper now - very glad I got it and would recommend.Thanks for looking.
🔭 Cosmic Storm at the Seagull's Wing by
This image focuses on a non-traditional composition of IC 2177. Instead of the familiar bird-like silhouette, I chose a tighter framing that emphasizes a chaotic and dynamic stellar storm, with gas flows and ionization fronts dominating the scene.The image was captured during the first half of January and consists of a total of 41 hours of SHO integration plus RGB stars, acquired from urban skies in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
SimpleRThis image focuses on a non-traditional composition of IC 2177. Instead of the familiar bird-like silhouette, I chose a tighter framing that emphasizes a chaotic and dynamic stellar storm, with gas flows and ionization fronts dominating the scene.The image was captured during the first half of January and consists of a total of 41 hours of SHO integration plus RGB stars, acquired from urban skies in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
🔭 The Geminids meteor shower above La Palma Observatory by
I woud like to share with you the first photo from my December trip to La Palma.The main goal of this journey was to photograph the Geminids meteor shower.What followed turned out to be the most difficult and chaotic astrophotography adventure I’ve ever had — and honestly, if I had known in advance what awaited me, I probably wouldn’t have done it again. Under normal circumstances, traveling from Kraków(Poland) to La Palma should take no more than 10 hours. My trip took 25.5 hours — from leaving home at 4:00 a.m. to finally reaching the apartment. Almost five of those hours were spent sitting in a plane at Kraków airport, waiting for the fog to clear before takeoff.The main culprit behind most of the chaos was Storm Emilia, which had been raging across the Canary Islands for days. I arrived right in the middle of it. Flights were delayed multiple times, and eventually we took off after midnight in conditions that were far worse than earlier. After landing on La Palma, wind gusts reached up to 100 km/h, and I didn’t reach the apartment until after 5:00 a.m. Once there, nearly every night meant driving from one coast of the island to the other in search of a patch of clear sky. The weather changed constantly — rain would force us to pack up the equipment, only to unpack it again minutes later. One night alone, I set up and packed down the gear about seven times. After five nights like this and extreme physical exhaustion, I was close to ending up in the hospital. Only one night was noticeably better — the very night this photo was taken. It was also the second attempt to reach the observatory, which had been completely closed for the first three days due to snowfall.The main theme of this photo is, of course, the Geminids — one of the most intense and spectacular meteor showers visible from Earth. The meteors were photographed over the course of five nights, between December 13 and 18 (In order to do this I have done about 3000 shoots). They occur when our planet passes through a stream of cosmic debris that burns up in the atmosphere, creating bright “shooting stars.” Quite a few of them can be seen in this image — although at first I thought there were only a handful, a careful review of the data revealed many more than I initially expected.In the foreground, you can see three massive astronomical telescopes of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, located at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level. The arc of the winter Milky Way stretches beautifully from one telescope to another, perfectly blending with the structures in the foreground. The true stars of this image are, once again, the Geminids, whose radiant lies in the constellation Gemini — hence their Latin name, Gemini. This image is a fragment of a huge 360-degree panorama. The full panorama consists of 43 panels, with each panel being a single frame captured with an exposure time of 15 seconds. Also visible is the zodiacal band, crossing the Milky Way and forming an arc similar to it. The zodiacal band is a very faint, diffuse glow visible in the night sky, aligned with the ecliptic — the plane in which the planets of our Solar System orbit. It is caused by sunlight scattered by microscopic grains of interplanetary dust, originating mainly from comet debris and asteroid collisions.Just above the horizon, a stunning orange-red and green airglow adds an extra layer of magic.The sky is also filled with numerous hydrogen nebulae, with the largest and most prominent one being, of course, the Orion Nebula..Date:13-18.12.2025Place: La Palma / Spain
Marcin7I woud like to share with you the first photo from my December trip to La Palma.The main goal of this journey was to photograph the Geminids meteor shower.What followed turned out to be the most difficult and chaotic astrophotography adventure I’ve ever had — and honestly, if I had known in advance what awaited me, I probably wouldn’t have done it again. Under normal circumstances, traveling from Kraków(Poland) to La Palma should take no more than 10 hours. My trip took 25.5 hours — from leaving home at 4:00 a.m. to finally reaching the apartment. Almost five of those hours were spent sitting in a plane at Kraków airport, waiting for the fog to clear before takeoff.The main culprit behind most of the chaos was Storm Emilia, which had been raging across the Canary Islands for days. I arrived right in the middle of it. Flights were delayed multiple times, and eventually we took off after midnight in conditions that were far worse than earlier. After landing on La Palma, wind gusts reached up to 100 km/h, and I didn’t reach the apartment until after 5:00 a.m. Once there, nearly every night meant driving from one coast of the island to the other in search of a patch of clear sky. The weather changed constantly — rain would force us to pack up the equipment, only to unpack it again minutes later. One night alone, I set up and packed down the gear about seven times. After five nights like this and extreme physical exhaustion, I was close to ending up in the hospital. Only one night was noticeably better — the very night this photo was taken. It was also the second attempt to reach the observatory, which had been completely closed for the first three days due to snowfall.The main theme of this photo is, of course, the Geminids — one of the most intense and spectacular meteor showers visible from Earth. The meteors were photographed over the course of five nights, between December 13 and 18 (In order to do this I have done about 3000 shoots). They occur when our planet passes through a stream of cosmic debris that burns up in the atmosphere, creating bright “shooting stars.” Quite a few of them can be seen in this image — although at first I thought there were only a handful, a careful review of the data revealed many more than I initially expected.In the foreground, you can see three massive astronomical telescopes of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, located at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level. The arc of the winter Milky Way stretches beautifully from one telescope to another, perfectly blending with the structures in the foreground. The true stars of this image are, once again, the Geminids, whose radiant lies in the constellation Gemini — hence their Latin name, Gemini. This image is a fragment of a huge 360-degree panorama. The full panorama consists of 43 panels, with each panel being a single frame captured with an exposure time of 15 seconds. Also visible is the zodiacal band, crossing the Milky Way and forming an arc similar to it. The zodiacal band is a very faint, diffuse glow visible in the night sky, aligned with the ecliptic — the plane in which the planets of our Solar System orbit. It is caused by sunlight scattered by microscopic grains of interplanetary dust, originating mainly from comet debris and asteroid collisions.Just above the horizon, a stunning orange-red and green airglow adds an extra layer of magic.The sky is also filled with numerous hydrogen nebulae, with the largest and most prominent one being, of course, the Orion Nebula..Date:13-18.12.2025Place: La Palma / Spain
🔭 Oye, Beltalowda! - Orion's Belt by
The noscript of this two-panel mosaic, “Oye, Beltalowda!,” comes from The Expanse—the cry of those living in the asteroid belt to unite against the oppression of the “Inners,” those from the Earth and Mars, who exploit and oppress them. More information, as well as a deep-zoom full-resolution image, is available on my website:https://www.casualcosmologist.com/astroimagenew/oye%2C-beltalowda!---orion's-belt
AccidentalAstronomersThe noscript of this two-panel mosaic, “Oye, Beltalowda!,” comes from The Expanse—the cry of those living in the asteroid belt to unite against the oppression of the “Inners,” those from the Earth and Mars, who exploit and oppress them. More information, as well as a deep-zoom full-resolution image, is available on my website:https://www.casualcosmologist.com/astroimagenew/oye%2C-beltalowda!---orion's-belt