Milky Way Core setting over Sisters Beach and Rocky Cape National Park, Tasmania.

The view is pretty much SE to NW. In addition to the MWC, at left we have the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. These dwarf galaxies are ~166 - 200 LY from us and likely to to collide with us at some point. Just above the SMC is Canopus and below the LMC is Achernar (just made the crop!)

Above the core itself are Jupiter and Saturn and tucked away above the far end of the beach are some pretty cool noctilucient clouds I didn't actually notice until editing the frames. Finally Rocky Cape at extreme right where the lighthouse is just out of shot but the lume can be made out clearly.

Nikon Z6, Nikkor Z 20/1.8 S, 12 portrait frame stitch at 20 secs, f/2.2, ISO 3200. Manual WB at 3800K. 02:40 Hrs 2020/07/23

Sisters Beach has a tide of around 8' rise and fall and I was hoping for a lot less water on the generally flat beach in order to pick up heaps of reflections but was not to be - it was about 1/2 tide on the flood...

Press "L" on your keyboard for maximum impact :-)

Tags:   Milky Way Milky Way Core Milky Way Galaxy Panorama Nightscape Night Photography stars starscape Beach Sisters Beach Tasmania Tassie Rocky Cape Rocky Cape National Park Galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud Small Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxies Achernar Canopus Jupiter Saturn noctilucient clouds noctilucient Long Exposure Long Exposure Photography Clouds Storms Sunsets Sunrises Nikon Nikon Z6 Nikon Mirrorless Nikon Z Mount Nikkor Nikkor Lenses Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikon 20/1.8 S Breath Taking Landscapes

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Nighttime forest bathing with the Milky Way Core hanging over the deep Tasmanian rainforest.

Planet Jupiter in the top right. Just a bit fuzzy as a faint dew had settled on the lens - pointing straight up as it was.

I didn't light the trees - that's either starlight or the light from my LCD screen on the back of the camera - pretty impressed with the shadow noise handling of the Z6 as a result of this frame.

Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park.

Nikon Z6, Nikkor Z 20/1.8 S, 20 secs, f/2, ISO 3200. Manual WB at 3800K. 22:15 Hrs 2020/07/25

Tags:   Milky Way Milky Way Core Milky Way Galaxy Nightscape Night Photography stars starscape Tasmania Tassie Galaxy dwarf galaxies Jupiter Saturn noctilucient Long Exposure Long Exposure Photography Clouds Storms Sunsets Sunrises Nikon Nikon Z6 Nikon Mirrorless Nikon Z Mount Nikkor Nikkor Lenses Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikon 20/1.8 S Breath Taking Landscapes rainforest forest shinrin roku forest bathing Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park Cradle Mountain Cradle Mt

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The Milky Way setting over Sisters Beach, North West Tasmania. Jupiter and Saturn above the galaxy. Around 02:40 hrs and an excellent early morning to be on the beach with clear skies and noctilucient clouds over the hills at the far end of the beach.

Haven't had a good run with the weather or commitments so far this winter. If I've had the time it's been cloudy or too much moon, if I've had other things to be done it's been clear.

Had to go back into last year's archive to revisit a 7 frame Milky Way stitch to keep on top of processing. Have previously posted a wider version of the view - this one is a little tighter and an entire reprocess - to remind myself what to do.

Nikon Z6, Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S, 7 x 20 secs at 3200

Tags:   Milky Way Milky Way Core Milky Way Galaxy Panorama Nightscape Night Photography stars starscape Beach Sisters Beach Tasmania Tassie Rocky Cape Rocky Cape National Park Galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud Small Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxies Achernar Canopus Jupiter Saturn noctilucient clouds noctilucient Long Exposure Long Exposure Photography Clouds Storms Sunsets Sunrises Nikon Nikon Z6 Nikon Mirrorless Nikon Z Mount Nikkor Nikkor Lenses Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikon 20/1.8 S Breath Taking Landscapes WebSharpPro lumenzia

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The Milky Way Galaxy setting over Waubs Bay and the small town of Bicheno, Tasmania. From the rocks on Peggys Point.

Pleased I was finally able to get out this winter - not many opportunities left before the core drops below the horizon or the short nights of summer interfere. As it was, there was lots of sea mist from the breakers down low. Made a few passes but this sequence seemed to have less air glow or haze.

Nikon Z 6, Nikon Nikkor 20mm f/1.8, 13 seconds at f/2, ISO 5000. 10 portrait frame stitch. 11:47hrs 04/09/21.

Tags:   Milky Way Milky Way Core Milky Way Galaxy Panorama Nightscape Night Photography stars starscape Tasmania Tassie Galaxy Achernar noctilucient Long Exposure Long Exposure Photography Clouds Storms Sunsets Sunrises Nikon Nikon Z6 Nikon Mirrorless Nikon Z Mount Nikkor Nikkor Lenses Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikon 20/1.8 S Breath Taking Landscapes lumenzia DXO LABS NIK Collection Nik ColorEfexPro Bicheno Bicheno, Tasmania water rocks breakers East Coast Tasmania East Coast Seascape

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Not your average astro pic this one.

Strathgordon is as far from anywhere you can get by road here on the island. It has a Bortle Class 1 dark sky rating.
So with all the astro gear in the car ready to roll, it rained and if it wasn't raining it was clag.

I set up because it looked like there may be one or two windows open up in the thick overcast but it transpired to be a hoax. This is the only pic I managed to get before the rain started to fall again. In reality it's a test shot, nothing more. Thin haze still hides the perfect stars from view.

The partial gap in the cloud permitted this view of the Southern Cross (Acrux) which sits clearly at the top along with the faint shape of the Coalsack Nebula beside it. The 'Pointers' (Hadar and Rigil Kent) below to the right. The MW Core is off the image to the lower right. If you don't look too hard, it's possible to make out the shape of "The Emu" - first nations peoples' interpretation of this part of the MW Galaxy. The head of the bird is the Coalsack with the neck and body formed by the dust lanes and sundry nebulae heading back to the core.

There is a faint white star just inside the frame and just to the right of top dead centre - the South Celestial Pole is just below it somewhere. Count yourselves lucky for Polaris all you peeps in the Northern Hemisphere!

Something different anyway :-)

Nikon Z6, Nikkor 20/1.8, 20 secs at f/1.8, ISO 3200

2021/06/13, 22:49:25

Tags:   Astrophotography astro Long Exposure Long Exposure Photography Strathgordon Lake Pedder Lake Gordon Tasmania Tassie dark sky Clouds Storms Sunsets Sunrises Nikon Nikon Z6 Nikon Mirrorless Nikon Z Nikon Z Mount Nikon Lenses Nikkor Nikkor Lenses Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Nikon Z 20/1.8 S Nikkor Z 20/1.8 S Milky Way Milky Way Core Milky Way Galaxy Galaxy Southern Hemisphere Skies Southern Cross

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