The western evening sky from the Gippsland Coast of Victoria, Australia on March 31, 2017. The latitude is 37° South. The location is the West Cape of Cape Conran, looking west to the waxing crescent Moon above the Pleiades and below the Hyades in Taurus. At centre is Orion, upside down compared to the northern hemisphere view. The bright star at top centre is Sirius in Canis Major. Procyon is at right. Mars is just above the clouds at lower left. The Milky Way runs vertically from Taurus (below) to Canis Major (at top). Several star clusters are visible along the Milky Way, including M41, M46, & M47. This is a stack of 8 15- and 30-second exposures, mean combined to smooth noise, for the ground, and one 15-second exposure for the sky. All at f/2.5 with the Rokinon 14mm lens wide open, and Canon 6D at ISO 3200. An additional 2-second exposure was blended in for the Earthlit Moon to prevent it from being overexposed too much. A Soft Glow effect from ADP Panel+ adds the softer effect to the ground.
A horizon-to-zenith panorama of the winter consellations on a March evening as they set into the southwest. Orion is at bottom centre, with his Belt pointing down to Canis Major and up to Taurus. Gemini and Auriga are at top, in this case near the zenith overhead. The bright star clusters, M44, the Beehive, (at left) and M45, the Pleiades, (at right) flank the Milky Way. M45 is embedded in the Zodiacal Light. The star clusters M35 in Gemini and M41 in Canis Major are also visible as diffuse spots, as are several other star clusters. A couple of satellite trails are visible. Taken from home Match 19, 2017, for use as a book illustration. This is a panorama of 5 panels, each with the 20mm Sigma Art lens at f/2, and Nikon D750 at ISO 3200, for 25 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
The late winter evening Zodiacal Light, as shot at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, February 28, 2017. The Light is the glow from sunlight reflecting off cometary dust particles in the inner solar system. It is not an effect of twilight. It is best visible in the evening from northern latitudes in late winter and spring. Venus is just setting above the badlands landscape. The Andromeda Galaxy is at right, the Pleiades at left. The Milky Way runs across the frame at top. This is a stack of 7 x 30-second exposures for the ground, mean combined for lower noise, plus one 30-second exposure for the sky, all at f/2 with the 20mm Sigma Art lens, and Nikon D750 at ISO 6400.
