Derived from my movie 'Fall skies of La Palma' https://vimeo.com/244510227 , you can probably remember this epic scene where the core of the milky way- containing billions of stars, was setting above a sea of boiling clouds. Since I shot a time-lapse, I had a series of the same shots in a row that I just stacked together to increase contrasts, details and colors. At just 25 shots (after which the milky way core disappears too much under the horizon) you can reveal so much details in this particularly bright and colorful region. You dramatically increase the impression of three dimensional space, where the light coming from the downtown neighborhood of our galaxy is being blocked by a central lane of dark hydrogen clouds. In front of it and much closer to our solar system, previously exploded stars created nebulae like the Lagoon (large pink gas cloud) and the Trifid nebula (pink and blue nebula). Some will also probably recognize the brightest stars closest to us: Nash (left corner), Kaus Meridionalis (far left), Kaus Borealis (at the very top left), M23 star cluster. The brightest 'star' you see is actually Saturn setting at the same time as the milky way core. In its last moments before we are able to see it again (in the Spring), the central part of our own galaxy offers us such a colorful and bright last minute 'sunset' where in fact, billions of 'suns' set on the horizon.
Canon 6D Baader modded + Samyang 135mm f/2 + Vixen Polarie + Pure Night LP filter
25 x 16'' @ ISO 6400, f/2.8
Stacked in Nebulosity 4, blended in PtGui Pro and processed in Lr
La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain - November 20th, 2017
