My Best Photo of The Milky Way Galaxy That I've Ever Taken. Mount Cook, New Zealand. What Do You Think?

in photography •  8 years ago 

Milky way - mount Cook New Zealand

It was -10ºC (14°F) and my fingers felt like they were about to fall off. Still, what a beauty of a night sky.
Captured 9 weeks ago in Mount Cook, New Zealand. It's winter down here.

Plus a different vertical version showing more of the Milky Way.

Milky way - mount Cook New Zealand

I originally posted the vertical version here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BGWa6I1w7Sh/?taken-by=daxon

Shot using a Canon 5d with a 16-35mm 2.8f

Anyone can take astro photos. It's just about having a good SLR and being in the right place at the right time.
For this I used a wide angle lens, tripod and set my camera settings to

  • 25" shutter speed
  • 2000 ISO
  • 2.8 apature

As unbelievable as it looks we in the Southern Hemisphere are lucky to be facing into the Milky Way. You'll just have to come down to see it yourself. But it's freezing!

Always look up.

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That is a magnificent shot, your camera is pointed 26,000 light/years away directly at the Galactic center of the Milky Way. Just above the light colored gas formation halfway along the dark stripe is the location of radio source Sagittarius A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A-star"). It is thought to be a supermassive black hole, millions of times the mass of our sun.
Just beautiful. @daxon

This is not only beautiful but this is amazing, you shot right on target and is eligible to enter the world of photography.. goodjob @daxon cheers

"you shot right on target"

Ah too kind, I should enter more competitions then. Plus capture a few more.

You are right. These really amazing shots.

Thank you so much! I never knew about the dark stipe. A mix of beauty and destruction all at once.

I agree @blockcodes, this view of the milky way most people never get to experience in their lifetime, so beautiful. @daxon really captured the milky way at the right place, at the right time! Sometimes we put ourselves into situations, no matter how extreme, that are all worth it. This is one of those situations!

Wow! This is the kind of shotI can't take with my camera yet... I can't wait to be able to do that as well, this is a fantastic shot in deed! You sure get my upvote, thank you. I'm also a nature lover and think you might even like my blog that as been so far about the Canadian Rockies...

http://steemit.com/@eric-boucher

Namaste :)

Your photo is definitely the best one today! here's little reward from me ;)
https://steemit.com/photography/@foma17/steemit-photo-of-the-day-14-reward-10-sbd

Hey, just read about your contest... I was wondering if you had had the chance of coming across the blog I have written on steemit? Maybe you'd like some of it too. you have found some good findings in your search/contest. I hope you'll also enjoy the results of my travelogs and pictures:

http://steemit.com/@eric-boucher

Namaste :)

Hi Eric! u have good photos, but i'm rewarding new photos every day (u have 2 weeks old photos).

There will be much more coming up soon as the new postings are coming out soon... thanks for your quick reply. Namaste :)

;)

THANK YOU :) How kind of you to give back to creators and the community

Thnx dude! :)

If your shutter speed was 25 seconds, why is there no movement in the stars?

He used a wide angle lens. See this

Good point, was originally going to suggest that you could see the start of it around the edges of the shot, but remembered that it should align roughly with the galactic plane.

There is a slight movement in the stars in the full res version as you zoom in but barely noticeable in this. Yes anything over 20 seconds usually results a trail

if I saw this all in real life, I'd probably start crying. nature is so beautiful.

Yes! But also because it's so cold. :)

I fly around that Milky Way in Elite Dangerous, its just a silly computer game, but the awe and majesty is so well done.

I also contribute to mapping the real milky way in 3d by contributing my computer time to the Milkyway@home project on BOINC.

Its pictures like yours that inspire me to do these things.

Thanks! I previously heard of the SETI project doing that years ago. Science and art is the way to go.

Excellent breakfast joint about 2.3 light years galactic south of Pleiades if you ever make it out there. Simple humans. Hahahahahahah! Oh yes, that was humorous. Yes?

  ·  8 years ago (edited)

Thanks for the beautiful photo. I haven't seen the milky way in person in a long time. I must say I prefer the vertical version.

edit: but the horizontal one makes a better thumbnail. I see what you did there.

Yes! you're on point! I unfortunately didn't get the top in the horizontal version, or take another photo to stitch it with. Alas, next time.

Amazing! There is nothomg better than spemd time watching stars.... I use to do it only in summertime... but I could spend hours there! Great photos and great camera....

awesome photo @daxon ! 8]

This is absolutely stunning, thanks for sharing :)

Its rockin'! Love the pink glow. Have you ever been to Kitt Peak? @nonlinearone

Great photos. From one that lived in New Zealand most his life, i can tell you it is something I miss deeply. The air the sky the night time star gazing is on another level. I think growing up as a kiwi you become accustomed to the cold, I actually miss it, I live in California now which is the exact opposite,lol. ​Thanks for bringing back some beautiful memories:)

That's great! Happy to have brought back some memories. Yes you become accustom to your surroundings and it becomes normal. Be sure to come back, I love it here.

Aww, kiwi right here too! I live here and this photo even makes me miss it lol

Breathtaking shot @daxon. This is a great example of being at the right place at the right time.

Keep up the good work!

Amazing sky :o this shoot is realy cool.
I like the pink on tree bellow sky :)

Damn, I cannot wait to be reborn into the future when man is a already a space-faring race.

Awwwwwesome. :)

Best Picture.. amazing..

Thank you for sharing your awesome astro photos, @daxon! Did your friends (or/and u?) stand still for 25"? And where does the pink light come from? A flash or a flashlight?

Unfortunately there is way to much light smog where I live (Vienna, Austria), but I'll give it a try too, next time I'll visit the countryside... :)

Yes we stood there in the freezing cold for that long, for multiple shots. But all good because of the display above us. The red/pink light is from the little head lamp we were using (another person asked, copy paste). Very low power but the camera sucks up so much light from it.

Oh God... Simply Amazing.

красиво

So nice photos, really beautiful!!!

Very awe inspiring photos. Thank you. I've always dreamed of flying amoungst the stars as a small child. Your photos took me back to those fond memories.

Really inspiring and magnificent shot from you. It is so amazing to have a look around on these milky way galaxy photos. Thanks bro

Beautiful! Simply beautiful! This just shows the creative mind of the One who has put all this together. That invisible hand! Nice photo, love your work. Hope you have more shots to show. Looking forward to them.

Thanks! I have so many random photos, but to me I've seen them all so I think they're somewhat bland. Lots to come! Thanks for the comment

Thanks for sharing! Beautiful picture!

This is amazing!!! I skydived over mount cook but little did I remember that this galaxy was obove me as well. Thank you for the share!!

Wow... +1

I have less Voting Power now. Why? Because I upvotes you! I wish you could upvote you 10 times!

Ha, thanks @timsaid. I can feel the other 9. Does it reset everyday?

oh! my god. It's amazing :)

It is humbling to imagine that while the stars in the sky make for one of the most splendid and awe inspiring sights, what we actually see is mostly the shadows of died out stars.

Outstanding photo!

Mate, that is incredible!

The vertical version could do a great mobile wallpaper!

Wow !

The view is super spectacular. It looked like the whole sky is glittering with thousands of stars and the blinding pinkish light in front, similar to the moment of an Alien space craft landing in front of you.

Overall, these photos are simply fabulous. Well captured at the right time.

I think that's a fabulous photo, I wish I could have seen what you saw there with my own eyes.

Woah. mouth gaping open in awe

Well worth that -10 degrees :)

Stunning. Quite beautiful.

I would take freezing RIGHT NOW as it is over 100deg F... something like 33 or so Celsius.
Great work!!

very nice - did you happen to shoot any as a timelapse? I just posted about a supermoon eclipse timelapse @timelapse

No night timelapses, I've done a few 360º video timelapses to publish here though.

Great photo ! It illustrates perfectly the magnificence of our galaxy ! Im planing to do a shot of the Milky Way in the week with one of my friend, I may post it here if its good enough

Be sure to link me :)

I won't forget !

Beautiful pictures.

That's what the sky should look like everywhere

  ·  8 years ago (edited)

Breathtaking - awesome photo.

OMG i LOVE THAT photo so much mind if i use it for my desktop?

Thanks, for sure, go for it.

wow what a shot

What setting you use for this stunning photo mind to share manual mode setting ?

Its in the post. 25" shutter speed, at 2000iso and 2.8f with a canon 16-35mm :) give it a try

Great photo thanks for sharing!

I too am from New Zealand and have shared some of my photos here too :)

Wow..Wow. Your photo's amazing. You are obviously very gifted with photography. I would love to be able to take quality photos such as yours. Beautiful is the only way to describe the picture.

Its awesome..

Dude. It's great!!!

Wow amazing photos of the milky way.
keep it up.
Love it

She's a beauty!

Love this! <3

wow. good joob...

Impressive

Such beautifull pictures, daxon!

If I had just seen the image without it being claimed to be genuine, I'd be certain it was at least touched up. That's really amazing. We get some incredible skies here in the Arizona desert and have an observatory just a few miles away, but I've never seen a sky like that. Amazing.

Amazing!

Holy crap, I love this. I'd love to get into photography (I happen to be starting a photography class this fall semester at my college). Plus I just love space. This is absolutely gorgeous!

Wow....Very Cool....

Oh my goooodness! This makes me want to cry for some reason haha it's freakin gorgeous! I'm from New Zealand too :) way to represent.

  ·  8 years ago Reveal Comment
  ·  8 years ago Reveal Comment

It's so beautiful!! ヾ(q O q)/" It looks like something taken straight out of a fantasy movie! Did cosmic elves come and visit you from space?? Hehe~

(Also what's causing the pink glow lol?)

I was going to ask this same question and figured someone would have asked it by now, lol. Thanks for asking, I am also curious as hell. I see greenish lights behind the tree as well on the snow. Just awe inspiring photography right here.

The red/pink glow is from the head lamp we were using. Very low power but the camera sucks up so much light from it. The cosmic elves say hi too :)

gorgeous!

Wow i am truly impressed and awe inspired!!!
shared

Amazing shot

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Absoluteley amazing. you should put it in the #astrophotography tag.