A Celestial Crown: The Winter Milky Way Arch at Soriška Planina
Stepping out into the biting cold and fierce winds atop Soriška Planina might sound daunting, but for dedicated astrophotographers, such challenges often lead to the most rewarding views. This season, my mission was to capture the elusive Winter Milky Way arch, and this image is the culmination of that effort.
This is my first capture of the Winter Milky Way arch this year, and with winter's grip beginning to loosen, it was likely my final opportunity to witness and photograph this magnificent celestial phenomenon. The conditions were far from ideal – freezing temperatures amplified by relentless winds made the experience both physically demanding and technically challenging, as imaging quality can suffer significantly under such circumstances.
However, the sheer spectacle of the arch stretching across the inky black sky made every shiver and every adjustment of the gear utterly worthwhile. It’s moments like these, when nature's grandeur confronts us in its rawest form, that truly fuel the passion for capturing the cosmos.
The Technical Details Behind the Magic
Capturing an image of this caliber requires a meticulous approach. This particular shot was composed as a 360-degree panorama, meaning it's a mosaic of multiple images to encompass the full sweep of the night sky and the surrounding landscape.
- Sky Capture: For the celestial portion, 10 images were taken for the panorama, each exposed for 60 seconds at ISO 1250 and an aperture of f/1.8 with a 16mm lens. An additional 30-second exposure per panel was used to capture the subtle star glow.
- Landscape Capture: To ground the celestial display, 10 landscape images were also captured using the same settings: ISO 1250, f/1.8, 60 seconds at 16mm.
- Hydrogen-Alpha Integration: A dedicated small panorama of 6 images was captured to specifically highlight the Hydrogen-alpha emission nebula within the Milky Way. These were shot at a higher ISO of 8000, f/1.8, 16mm, with 3 images stacked per panel to bring out the faint red glow.
Gear Used:
- Ha mod Nikon Z6
- Viltrox 16mm lens
- MSM Nomad tracker
- Astronomik 12nm Ha filter
- Kenko Softon A filter
A Collaborative Endeavor:
This expedition was a shared experience with fellow astrophotographer Stefano Astorri, whose contributions and company were invaluable.
Connect and See More:
For those interested in the process and more of my astrophotography, I invite you to connect:
Stay tuned for more celestial adventures!
