Milky Way, Mars & Saturn - Large

I love Astronomy and the night sky, and whilst I have been imaging star trails from some time, I am fairly new to Astrophotography. After creating some successful wide-angle Milky Way shots, I decided to try something more ambitious, alongside my star trails shots. I wanted to capture a more detailed shot of the Milky Way by itself, no foreground, just the stars and Nebulae in all their beauty.

Taken at various times of year, with different parts of the Milky Way visible, this large panoramic view captures most of the Milky Way Galaxy as visible from the Southern Hemisphere. It also contains the planets Mars and Saturn, above the bright central bulge of the galactic core, towards the left of the image. Mars is bright, and rusty red, visible above the bright Star Antares, and Saturn a softer champagne-yellow, to the left of Antares.

It was a challenging project to say the least, requiring clear, crisp, moonless nights, as far as possible from light pollution, to capture the best quality data of the stars. Nearly 1,500 images were taken over a three-year period to complete this expansive project, which then required countless hours of processing into the final panoramic composition.

This was my first endeavour at Astrophotography, a highly challenging style of photography, where equipment is pushed to its limits to capture the ultra-low levels of light offered by the night sky, but equally, a highly rewarding experience. I am looking forward to future Astrophotography shoots, and to imaging and exploring more of the amazing Universe that surrounds us.