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

Modern Greeks

Under Your Protection

Radial symmetries

Old and New Thessaloniki

Lines of horizon