Capturing the Cosmos: Milky Way Core Over the New Mexico Plains
This past week, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. While initially met with overcast skies, fortune smiled upon me after sunset, and the clouds parted just long enough to reveal a breathtaking spectacle: the core of our own Milky Way galaxy.
A Serendipitous Sky
As the sky cleared, I managed to capture some initial shots of the VLA's impressive radio telescopes. Unfortunately, it was after operational hours, so I couldn't include the dishes in the foreground without venturing into trespassing territory. However, the celestial display that unfolded was truly mesmerizing. A periodic strobe in the lower left added an unexpected, yet captivating, accent to the scene.
This was only my second ever astrophotography outing, and I'm thrilled with the results. I'm eager to hear any constructive criticism to help me improve on future ventures.
Technical Details & Processing
For those interested in the technical aspects, here's a breakdown of how this shot was achieved:
- Camera: Sony a6700
- Lens: Sigma 16mm f/1.4
- Aperture: f/1.4
- Exposure: 10 seconds
- ISO: 800
Post-processing was done in Adobe Lightroom, a tool I'm still new to. I focused on enhancing the overall exposure, particularly in the sky, and boosting the orange tones to accentuate the galactic core. A touch of dehaze and denoise was applied. While the denoising process in Lightroom can create minor artifacts in the sky, they are barely noticeable unless you zoom in significantly.
I'm open to any tips and tricks for Lightroom processing, especially when it comes to managing sky detail.
Thanks for looking!
