'Galaxies Vol. II' Captures Deep-Sky Astro Time-Lapses

Adrien Mauduit has released the second piece in his “Galaxies” series. Volume II features time-lapses taken against winter skies, a deviation from his first “Galaxies” film which captures our galaxy and the surrounding stars during the summer nights.

Mauduit uses a technique called “deep-sky astrophotography” which introduces the use of longer focal length lenses while at times omitting the use of foreground elements which is so prevalent in astro time-lapses.

“I became more interested in exploring the possibilities that modern lenses, sensors, and techniques could give, so I started using medium format and astromodification to take advantage of a wider light spectrum and show the red colors of H-alpha emission nebulae that are so ubiquitous in the winter part of the sky,” said Mauduit.

Personally, this was an intro to what I now know to be deep-sky astro time-lapses. While this term may be the norm in academic astronomy circles, this is the first time I've seen it used on a consumer level, and the accessibility of capturing such images is very exciting to me.

Mauduit spent the better part of last year shooting these time-lapses above landscapes in France, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, Denmark, and Canada. With tools like the Lonely Speck PureNight Light Pollution Filter and the Vixen Polarie star tracker, Mauduit was able to dramatically reduce excess light while increasing sharpness by tracking the stars through the night sky with extreme precision.

What gear is in your toolkit for capturing astrophotography? Comment below.