Glowing Skies and Starlit Paths Under the Milky Way in La Palma
Returning to the Canary Islands, specifically the island of La Palma, was an absolute joy. This place truly lives up to its reputation as a haven for some of the most incredible night skies on Earth!
This stunning shot was captured near the Mirador de Los Andenes. I'd scouted the location during the day and spotted a small fence that looked perfect for framing the celestial wonders. While it might not be immediately obvious, this path hugs the edge of a dramatic cliff, adding an extra layer of awe to the already breathtaking scenery.
Unveiling the Celestial Glow
The beautiful greenish hue you see in the image is airglow, a natural phenomenon. It's caused by chemical reactions occurring high in our atmosphere, which emit a faint light during the night. While La Palma's pristine skies mean airglow is a regular occurrence, the intensity on this particular night was exceptionally strong!
The Vertical Ascent of the Milky Way
For this particular photograph, my goal was to capture the core of the Milky Way positioned vertically. This meant waiting patiently until it rose in the sky, typically around 4-5 a.m. There's a unique sense of peace that washes over you when you're sitting alone on a rock at the top of the island, with the distant lights of towns twinkling 2,300 meters below. In those moments, you stop overthinking and simply exist in the profound beauty of the universe.
Experimenting with New Techniques
This trip provided the perfect opportunity to test out some new photography techniques I was eager to explore. I utilized a Star Glow filter to achieve that signature sparkling effect on the stars and an Hα filter to reveal the subtle reds of nebulae. Each filter required an additional shot, meaning each segment of the panorama involved a standard photo, an Hα-filtered shot, and a Star Glow-filtered shot. I was a bit nervous about the extensive effort, but the final results have left me incredibly happy!
I actually created two versions of this image: one with myself positioned on the path, and another without. I'm still torn on which one I prefer – any suggestions from you all?
Technical Details of the Shot
The final image is a panorama, expertly stitched together from 20 photos for the sky and 22 for the foreground, all taken at a 50mm focal length.
To ensure sharpness across all planes and prevent a blurry foreground, I employed the focus stacking technique. While it wasn't absolutely perfect, I'm still very pleased with the outcome of this first attempt.
A Note on Visibility: It's important to remember that while the Milky Way is indeed visible to the naked eye from La Palma, it appears with significantly fewer details and without the vibrant colors captured in this long-exposure photograph.
Sky Settings: f/1.8 - 45 seconds - ISO 2500 Foreground Settings: f/4 - 30 seconds - ISO 3200
Equipment Used: Canon 6D (astro-modded) - Skywatcher Star Adventurer - Sigma ART 50mm
It truly was a stargazer's dream come true!
