Astrophoto: Incredible View of the Milky Way from New Zealand

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+.

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.

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8 Replies to “Astrophoto: Incredible View of the Milky Way from New Zealand”

  1. 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

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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

  4. 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:

  5. 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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