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Astrophoto: Incredible View of the Milky Way from New Zealand

by Nancy Atkinson on March 4, 2013

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The Milky Way over New Zealand. Credit: Zhang Hong.

The Milky Way over New Zealand. Credit: Zhang Hong.

There are some moments in an astrophotographer’s life that you just have to step back and say thanks for the view. “Thanks clear sky,” said Zhang Hong when he posted this image on Google+.

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This almost looks like a shower of stars raining down. Just gorgeous.

Here are the specs on his equipment: Nikon D800, Aperture: f/2.8, Focal length: 14.mm, exposure time:25.9 seconds, ISO-4000, -0.7 exposure compensation, spot metering, no flash, equatorial mount.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

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About

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

Tagged as: Astrophotos, milky way, New Zealand

  • http://www.facebook.com/adam.brinckerhoff.5 Adam Brinckerhoff

    This is a great shot, but how about flipping the script and taking great pictures of Earth from space and using them to help our fellow Earthlings? Come join our SHIM-1 project us to find out how.

    Adam Brinckerhoff
    Development Engineer
    SpaceUnited

  • The Hunger Artist

    Did it look like that everywhere before the invention of artificial light or was it just at higher elevations? I’ve lived for 33 years and not ever seen a photograph like that until very recently.

  • Me

    Sweet shot of an arm of our Galaxy.

  • OldRedned

    I live in Africa and have never seen the Milky Way as anything but a broad band across the sky – substantially ‘horizontal’ to the horizon. Why should New Zealand be different? Are you sure we are not looking at a picture turned 90 degrees, with perhaps a bit of foreground licence? After all, you do say the picture is “incredible” and you know what ‘incredible’ means, don’t you. Anyway, a spectacular shot of our home Galaxy.

    • http://www.facebook.com/noizyboy James T Guthrie

      Hi OldRedned. That’s pretty much how it looks from where we are in NZ (Wellington) — maybe on little more of a lean. Here’s another shot, from near the coast where I live: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gfilm/8539348961/

      • OldRedned

        James, thank you for your stunning photo taken in New Zealand. What can I say! So much to learn – so little time.
        Regards, OldRed

  • Hilario Gómez

    This photo of Zhang Hong is fantastic, but needs several corrections. This pink sky is not real.

    I have processed the photo with Photoshop (five minutes of work). This is the result:

  • Bernie Court

    Nice photo. Havent seen the Milky Way for years. Light pollution and cloud cover seem ruin most nights. All I can see from my house are a few of the brighter planets and the moon. Oh, must not forget that occasionaly the sun is visible!

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