milky way Archives

October 29, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Too Many Stars to Count

A night sky over the Isle of Wight that is bright with the Milky Way and green airglow. Credit and copyright: Chad Powell.

Here’s a beautiful view of the Milky Way arching through the sky over the Isle of Wight, an island just off the south coast of England, known for having limited light pollution. This gorgeous image was taken by photographer Chad Powell. You can see more of Chad’s work on his website or his Facebook page.

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.

October 28, 2013December 28, 2015 by Fraser Cain

Astronomy Cast 319: The Zodiac

Although the Zodiac is best known for astrology nonsense, it has a purpose in astronomy too. The constellations of the Zodiac define the plane of the ecliptic: the region where the Sun, Moon and planets appear to travel through the sky. What are the constellations of the Zodiac, and how do astronomers use them as way points?

We record Astronomy Cast as a live Google+ Hangout on Air every Monday at 12:00 pm Pacific / 3:00 pm Eastern. You can watch here on Universe Today or from the Astronomy Cast Google+ page.

October 21, 2013November 5, 2013 by Fraser Cain

Virtual Star Party – October 20, 2013: In Space, Nobody can Hear You Waka-Waka-Waka-Waka!

Sunday’s Virtual Star Party felt like a reunion, with Mike Phillips, Gary Gonella, and Roy Salisbury supplying images and Scott Lewis co-hosting. We were joined by newcomer James McGee streaming a beautiful view of the Moon – when it wasn’t blocked by his apartment tower.

The Moon was just past full, so it commanded attention, but we still got a beautiful view of some fainter nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.

Astronomers: Mike Phillips, Gary Gonella, Roy Salisbury, James McGee

Hosts: Fraser Cain, Scott Lewis

Objects: The Moon, Pac Man Nebula, Eagle Nebula, Swan Nebula, Lagoon Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, M15 globular cluster, Dumbbell Nebula, Veil Nebula and more.

We hold the Virtual Star Party every Sunday night when it gets dark on the West Coast of North America. You can watch it live on Universe Today, on Google+, or from the Universe Today YouTube Channel.

September 13, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Beautiful Timelapse: Night Sky at the Shore

Stars swirl over the Batsto Mansion in New Jersey. Credit and copyright: Jack Fusco.

Need a little inspiration to go out and do some stargazing this weekend? Look no further than this gorgeous timelapse by Jack Fusco. There are awesome views of both sea and sky, the Milky Way, star trails, awesome cloud scenes and funky, directionally-challenged moving lights in the sky.

I’ve been working on a timelapse of the night sky over the New Jersey coastline,” Jack told us via email. “New Jersey definitely isn’t the best location for stargazing, but I think given the circumstances, many people will be surprised. I hope it inspires people to set some time aside to stargaze where they live even if they previously thought it wasn’t worth trying.”

Jack said he’s been working on this one for 10 months, and it’s definitely worth the hard work he’s put in.

Jack also gives a shout out to those affected by Hurricane Sandy last year. “A special thank you to all of those who have worked so hard to restore the homes of those lost during Sandy,” he writes on Vimeo. “Thank you to every volunteer that has spent time bringing the beauty back to our boardwalks and our beaches. The last year has been filled with heartbreak and devastation with much work still being done.”

Check out more of Jack’s work on his website and Facebook.

Home At The Shore from Jack Fusco on Vimeo.

August 17, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: The Milky Way Over Panther Creek State Park

The Milky Way arches over Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Park in Central Illinois. Credit and copyright: Ben Romang.

Amateur astronomers from Illinois frequently venture out to Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Park, a 26-square mile conservation area of prairie and forest, famous for having the darkest skies in the state. But of course, lots of folks head out to the park to enjoy other things like the picturesque landscapes, the wildlife, and the solitude.

This past week my friend Ben Romang went to do some camping at Panther Creek, and with a borrowed camera, wanted to make his first attempt at photographing the night sky. He was hoping to nab some Perseid meteors, but instead was overwhelmed with the beauty of the expansive sky overhead. For his first try, I think he did a pretty good job of capturing the view, don’t you?

Ben used a Canon 7D, with an EF 24-70mm lens.

If you’d like to see these amazing dark skies for yourself, the perfect time would be during the annual Illinois Dark Sky Star Party, held every year by the local astronomy group in my area, the Sangamon Astronomical Society. It’s a great event, with a wonderful observing site, lots of room for camping, great food, interesting speakers (so claims their website — I’ve spoken there a few times!), and very friendly folks who are passionate about amateur astronomy. This year the Dark Skies Party is October 3-6, 2013. Find out more about the event here.

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.

August 1, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Gorgeous Astrophoto: The Blue Milky Way

Fishing Boats Meet the Milky Way on the Isle of Wight (south of England) on May 16, 2013. Credit and copyright: Chad Powell.

We’ve shared many images of the Milky Way in our featured photos from astrophotographers, but this might be one of the most vibrant I’ve seen! The blue of the sky and sea is incredible and almost pulsates with its stunning azure color. Photographer Chad Powell explained on Flickr: “Where I live on the Isle of Wight (south of England) is known to have minimal light pollution but I only ever shot the Milky Way from my back garden. I decided to finally trek it down to my local beach. The Milky Way was so bright in the sky, it was breathtaking! The lights on the left are from fishing boats tens of miles out to sea.”

Simply beautiful, especially if you are a blue-o-file like I am!

Check out more of Chad’s work on Flickr or his website, IsleOfWightMilkyWay.com

July 30, 2013December 23, 2015 by Ray Sanders

Stunning Astrophoto: The Milky Way Over Death Valley

The Milky Way Over Death Valley. Image Credit: Jeff Moreau

High School Physics teacher and photographer Jeff Moreau took this incredible photo of the Milky Way over Death Valley. Jeff planned his photo on a night where the Moon had already set, arriving in Badwater Basin at Death Valley around 3:30 am.

Regarding his image, Jeff says, “As a high school physics teacher, I love astronomy. I frequently am showing my students current astronomy news and images as there is so much that is so easily fascinating going on out in space.”

The image shown above is comprised of 7 photos, which do an incredible job of covering the extent of the Milky Way. According to Jeff, if he were to do this image again, he would take more images, possibly some shot horizontally, so that there would be a little less visible star trails on the top of the image.

One interesting detail about the image is that Jeff had never been to Death Valley before. Upon entering the park, the temperature (around 3AM), was around 99 degrees fahrenheit. Jeff had no idea of what the landscape looked like. As the Milky Way faded and the first hints of dawn began to emerge Jeff was treated to an incredible scene that he describes over on Google+ at: https://plus.google.com/114435675631396141366/posts/jcTSsetG9hZ

Jeff has been teaching high school physics for the past six years, and has been taking photographs for the last year and a half. Last summer Jeff took images of the Milky Way from atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

Jeff also maintained a picture-of-the-day website from 2003-2007 before taking his hobby to social media. Impressed by the huge community of photographers on Google+. Jeff was motivated to get a new camera and dive deeper into his hobby.

You can view Jeff’s entire Flickr album at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95912567@N02/ and you can add Jeff to your Google+ photography circle at: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114435675631396141366/about

July 29, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Whimsical and Beautiful New Timelapse: Borrego Stardance

A still from the new timelapse, 'Borrego Stardance' by Gavin Heffernan/Sunchaser Pictures.

Just outside of Borrego Springs, California, monsters lurk. Life-size metal statues of dinosaurs, dragons, and wooly mammoths stand among giant insects, birds and several other creatures. But the 600,000 acre Anzo-Borrego State Park is also an astronomer’s dream, since it is one of four communities in the world to be classified a “Dark Sky Community” by the International Dark Sky Association.

Timelapse maven Gavin Heffernan from Sunchaser Pictures has now combined these monsters and the beautiful dark sky for his latest astronomical timelapse video, Borrego Stardance. It’s an unusual and fanciful look at the night sky –- where else can you see dragons and star trails at the same time? Watch below — and crank the volume for added effect!

“Despite the grueling 112 degree temperatures, my team and I had an amazing shoot, with some of the clearest Milky Way footage we’ve ever captured” Gavin wrote Universe Today via email, “as well as some exciting creature-filled star trails, and more experiments with “Starscaping” (switching from stars to trails mid-shot).”

It’s a beautiful addition to Gavin’s already impressive timelapse and video collection. You can see a behind-the-scenes video of the Borrego site here.

You can find more information on the statues at the Galleta Meadows website.

BORREGO STARDANCE from Sunchaser Pictures on Vimeo.

July 18, 2013December 23, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Incredible Astrophoto: The Milky Way and Mt. Fuji as a ‘Galactic Volcano’

Mt. Fuji in Japan as a 'galactic volcano' with the Milky Way 'spewing' above and climbers with flashlights appearing like lava. Credit and copyright: Yuga Kurita.

It is a Japanese tradition to climb Mt. Fuji at night to be able to watch sunrise from the peak of the volcano in the morning. And so at night, climbers use flashlights to make their way to the summit. This inspired photographer Yuga Kurita to create a truly stunning image that makes the iconic Mt. Fuji appear like a galactic volcano.

“When I arrived at Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture, I saw people climbing up Mt. Fuji with flash lights and I thought they looked like lava streams,” Kurita explained on G+. “Then I came up with this composition, since nowadays, the Milky Way appears vertically in the sky so probably I could liken Mt. Fuji to an imaginary galactic volcano, that is, people climbing up with torches are lava streams and the Milky Way is the volcano smoke.”

Kurita said he checked out maps to find out the best potential spots where the image could be taken for full effect, and then spent a whole day driving and hiking around Mt. Fuji to check out the candidate spots. “I eventually found out the right spot for the composition and visited the spot three consecutive nights,” he said. “The result is this photograph. I’m quite happy with the outcome.”

Amazing and truly spectacular!

Thanks to Yuga Kurita for allowing Universe Today to post this image. You can see more of his work at G+ and on Facebook.

July 10, 2013April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Astrophoto: Airglow Shining Like an Aurora

The Milky Way and airglow seen in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Portugal. Credit and copyright: Miguel Claro.

Look closely at this beautiful serene view taken by Miguel Claro from Portugal. Not only is it a stunning view of the skies over Lake Alqueva in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Portugal, but there are also several scientifically interesting features here. Of course, visible is the arc of the Milky Way, filled with colors and light. Seen here is the most central region of the Milky Way, located near the constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius, where you might recognize many deep sky objects like the Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the Trifid Nebula (M20).

The “glow” seen here is not the aurora borealis, but instead it is airglow (atmospheric chemiluminescence), which is a photochemical reaction that occurs high in the atmosphere when various atoms get excited from the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Miguel explained via email that the yellow light is from emissions from sodium atoms in a layer at 92 km, and above it, is green light from oxygen atoms in a layer 90-100 km high. This emission layer is clearly visible from earth orbit, which we’ve seen in many images and videos taken from the ISS.

An annotated version of the Milky Way and airglow seen in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Portugal. Credit and copyright: Miguel Claro.

“Reflected in the peaceful lake and due to the polarization effect of water, we could clearly see the entire constellation of Scorpius with the real color of each star naturally saturated,” Miguel said via email, “due to this polarization and blurred effect, caused by the slowly movement of water during the long exposure. The orange color of the Red Supergiant Antares could be easily distinguished from the blue color of the Subgiant star, Shaula, in the end of tail.”

Miguel used a Canon 60Da – ISO 1600; 35mm lens at f/2; Exp. 15 secs. Mosaic of 23 images, taken on June 15, at 02:35 AM.

You can see another image on Miguel’s website taken on the same night and place, where airglow is visible with the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and still another with the Big Dipper and gravity waves with the airglow.