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008 Milky way aligned with the Matterhorn reflecting in Stellisee Photo by Giles Laurent

2023-08-20

Classification: Photograph
Museum: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0, as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed

About this work

Vertical panorama of the Milky Way aligned with the Matterhorn reflecting in Stellisee, Switzerland. Shooting this photo required to wait for months for the good timing. Several conditions were needed to be able to take the shot: 1) zero clouds; 2) new moon phase; 3) milky way perfectly aligned behind the Matterhorn; 4) week-end time. Using some smartphone apps I was able to calculate in advance the ideal dates and time where the Milky way would pass behind the Matterhorn during a new moon phase. These conditions were met on 20 August 2023 and I had to wait until 3 in the morning for the milky way to be passing behind the Matterhorn.

Here is a step by step guide to do astrophotography.

Equipment needed:

1) a tripod (mandatory to avoid camera shake);

2) a good camera;

3) a lens with a low f number such as f/1.4 in order to have as much light as possible reaching the camera sensor.

Weather and environment requirements:

1) new moon phase or moon not up at all because if the moon is illuminated it creates so much light pollution that almost no stars will be visible ;