First light for my Zenith Star II 61 APO from downtown Zurich (4.4 km distance)
Focus test with a Bathinov mask
The strawberry full moon above ZUrich
Eppure si muove?
Bathinov mask effect on Zurich downtwon
Click each picture to zoom in
An imaginary trip bringing us to the constellation of Cygnus, one of the most interesting corner in the milky way. Cygnus was shot on the sky above Zurich with an astonishing 8 minute long exposure on Skyguider Pro. Camera D600, lens Nikon 70-200 mm
On the launch ramp located direction to the Gotthard Pass.
A last look to the Mythen peaks
Into the launch tunnel
Lifting off
Its heart: a permanent supernova surrounded by its nebula. It’s tail on the bottom left, close to the pinky north America nebula. Its head far away on the bottom right. Can you see the Cygnus left wing stretching to the top and its right wing (partial) pointing to the bottom?
Click each picture to zoom in, and if Cygnus is not clear, find the constellation here
My pink full moon was very bright
was very bright behind the clouds
behind the clouds my pink full moon hid
my pink full moon hid behind the clouds for several hours
and when it finally come out of the clouds it was so high in the sky that it looked small and white as usual.
Pictures shot on a cloudy Swiss night. Click each picture to zoom in.
Silvery river, Where the dog ran, A pool of cow’s milk, The pathway of the birds, Hera’s spurting milk, The road of the Warriors… every human culture developed its own explanation for the origin and presence of the Milky way in the night sky. I shot these pictures in one of the darkest places in Greece, accordingly to lightpollutionmap.info: 40°02’04.2″N 24°00’22.0″E are the coordinates for some of the most exciting nights I had traveling through stars and galaxies (from the Greek word Galaxias, Γαλαξίας, where Γαλα means milk).
The lights of Sikias are far behind the hills. I stop the engine shortly before Klimataria. As I switch off the car lights, the Milky Way shows its silvery path on the West quadrant, between Altair and Vega, in this 14 mm shot.
The purple North America nebula shines like a gem in this 14 mm shot. On the top left the Andromeda Galaxy.
Here is a zoom (200 mm) on the purple North American nebula
Here is a zoom (200 mm) on Andromeda, notice the dense clouds above its center.
Watching South, Jupiter is going to bath in Hera’s Milk. The moon just set and its light is still strong. A cloud runs on the wires.
Finally, a watch towards North-East. A modern catamaran is at bay: it spreads blue light in the water. Above its pole light, a yellowish Venus shines above mount Athos and is reflected on the sea surface. Above Venus, the Pleiades. Top center, Andromeda again on the right of the Milky Way. What a catch: a whole Planetarium sliding anti-clock wise through the night.
Pictures shot with Nikon D800, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, Sigma 14 mm f/1.4, mount iOptron Skyguider Pro. Click each picture to zoom in.
Previous episodes:
Destination: the Holy Mountain
The easternmost leg of Chalkidiki peninsula (Central Macedonia, Greece) takes its name: Mount Athos, Agion Oros, the Holy Muntain is there waiting for us… already from the early sunrise hours.
And it will wait for long, as no woman is allowed, the documents necessary to cross its border must be requested six months in advance and an Orthodox travel companion is recommended (in the picture below, Saint Athanasios of Alexandria, XVth century).
This year I got all but the documents: my visit to this autonomous polity, home to more than 20 monasteries and cradle of the reborn Eastern Orthodox Church must be postponed.
Still, I wake up every morning in Sikias, placed on the eastern shores of the middle leg (aka Sithonia) of Chalkidiki peninsula: the Holy Mountain and its treasures are always there in front of me.
I will see Mount Athos across the Singitic gulf for 14 days…
… and 14 nights, with an astonishing bright Milky Way passing just above its 2,033 meter peak.. but I will never reach it, or will I?
There is also a westernmost leg of Chalkidiki peninsula (if you were wondering why Sithonia is the middle leg) that is called Kassandra, but nothing will be written about Kassandra in this travel across the North Agean Sea.
Pictures shot with Nikon D800 and Huawei P40 Pro. Lens and mount for astrophotography: Sigma 14 mm f/1.8 and iOptron Skyguider Pro. Click each picture to zoom in.
Copyright 2011-2021 Lorenzo Borghi. All rights reserved
