Capturing the Cosmos: My First 50mm Milky Way Panorama
As the Milky Way season begins, I'm thrilled to share my very first panorama attempt using a 50mm lens! This shot was a labor of love, combining meticulous planning and post-processing to bring the wonders of the night sky to life.
The Vision: A 50mm Perspective
My goal was to capture a wide-field view of the Milky Way's nascent season, and a 50mm lens proved to be the perfect tool for this expansive perspective. The characteristic focal length allowed me to frame a significant portion of the galactic core and its surrounding celestial tapestry.
The Setup: Precision in Every Shot
To achieve this panorama, I employed a combination of tracked and untracked exposures:
- Sky: A total of 50 individual tracked shots were taken, each with a 3-minute exposure. This was made possible by my Canon EOS 600D, modified for full-spectrum imaging, paired with a sharp Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens mounted on a star tracker. The tracking ensured crisp star points across all frames.
- Foreground: To ground the cosmic vista, I captured 5 single, untracked shots of the foreground. This added depth and context to the final image.
The shooting location was a Bortle 3 zone, providing an exceptionally dark sky with minimal light pollution, crucial for revealing the fainter details of the Milky Way.
The Process: Stitching and Refining
The raw data was then brought to life through a careful processing workflow:
- Stitching: Giga Autopano was the chosen software for seamlessly stitching together the 50 sky frames into a cohesive panorama.
- Processing: Siril was used for initial processing, enhancing the details and colors within the data.
Seeking Feedback
This is my first foray into panorama astrophotography, and I'm eager to learn and improve. If you have any tips or suggestions on how I can further refine my technique or processing, please feel free to share them in the comments below! Your insights are invaluable.
