"Wild" - A Breathtaking 360° Night Sky Panorama
Prepare to be mesmerized by "Wild," a spectacular 360-degree night sky panorama that offers an immersive journey into the cosmos. This impressive shot was taken south of Cherry Springs State Park, a designated dark sky park in Pennsylvania, renowned for its exceptionally clear and dark skies.
Capturing the Cosmos
This incredible vista is comprised of 32 individual panels, meticulously stitched together to create a seamless spherical view of the heavens. The photographer employed a Nikon D750 with a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D lens, a combination known for its excellent performance in low-light conditions.
Technical Details:
- Camera: Nikon D750
- Lens: Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D
- Foreground:
- Exposure: 1 second
- Aperture: f/10
- ISO: 400 (captured during blue hour for detail)
- Sky:
- Exposure: 10 seconds per panel
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 6400
- Stacking: 10 frames per panel to reduce noise and enhance detail.
The foreground was captured during the transitional 'blue hour,' ensuring a well-exposed and detailed landscape element to ground the celestial spectacle. For the sky, a series of ten 10-second exposures were taken for each of the eight panels within each of the four rows, demonstrating a significant commitment to capturing the faintest details of the Milky Way and distant stars.
This image is a testament to the power of dedicated astrophotography and the importance of preserving dark sky locations for astronomical observation and artistic capture. The clarity and detail present in "Wild" invite viewers to explore the vastness and beauty of our universe from a truly unique perspective.
