The Milky Way

[owlice]

Pointing to Sagittarius
http://www.frikosal.blogspot.com
Copyright: Manel Soria
[attachment=0]1 - pointing to sagittarius 7135f.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[owlice]

Via Lactea
http://www.loscielosdetenerife.es/ and http://www.altamiraobs.org.es/
Copyright: Carlos Vázquez and Jose Francisco Hernandez
[attachment=0]Image1-7-Mosaico.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[owlice]

Crater Lake Panorama at Night
Dippers, Galactic Arch of Milky Way, Star Reflections, Andromeda Galaxy & 10,000 Mosquitoes
http://www.AstroPics.com
Copyright: WallyPacholka / AstroPics.com / TWAN
[attachment=0]CraterLake-MilkyWayGalacticArch-FFF-560wp.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[Ann]

Wow-wow-wow!!! Look at that Crater Lake Panorama with star reflections in the lake!!!! A-mazing!!!

Ann

[owlice]

New Zealand Star Search
Copyright: Tunç Tezel

I want to submit these two pictures that I took during a road trip in North Island of New Zealand. I had submitted a single picture from that trip before, taken from Lake Taupo early in the evening of 3rd July. Later in the same evening, some lower clouds started to pass in addition to the higher thin clouds. There were also Large and Small Magellanic Clouds in the south, but I had no problems with them of course.

After Lake Taupo, I went to Tongariro National Park, the oldest protected area in New Zealand and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I drove further south by the coastal road by the lake, then I turned right for a narrower road quickly climbing higher and passing a ridge. After the ridge, there was a slight descent and then a scenic point.

[attachment=0]TongariroRotoaira.jpg[/attachment][/i]

TongariroRotoaira: From this point, there is a really beautiful view of a smaller lake, Rotoaira. It was also much darker with absolutely no lights around. The sky got much clearer. So I took a bunch of pictures again, 5 of them to make an all-sky composite (which I hope to finish processing and submit as well). And then 6 pictures in the form a 3x2 matrix, to make this final image. Visible across the lake are snowcapped volcanoes of Ngauruhoe (2287 m) and Tongariro (1967 m).

Then I drove further south, nearer the peaks and National Park village. But there were longer episodes of passing clouds after midnight. I stopped here and there, to take a few more pictures. A last quarter Moon also rose after midnight, helping me find holes in the clouds. After refueling in Taumaurunui some 30 km north of National Park village, I turned east to route 41, which would take me back to southern coast of Lake Taupo.

[attachment=1]TongariroSouthPan.jpg[/attachment][/i]

TongariroSouthPan: As I drove east, route 41 ascended and I found a good vantage point seeing all three volcanoes of Tongariro NP in the south. This is a wide look of that scenery. Even higher Ruahepu (2797 m) is seen to the right of Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. The strange looking trees and tree ferns of New Zealand can be seen more easily with moonlight. The Milky Way is making a back flip in the west and southwest, the bright bunch of Crux-Hadar-Rigil Kent (Beta-Alpha Cen) stands in an even stranger fashion.

Never in my life have I seen Crux just until a day before. And only once before I had seen all of Centaurus, low over Hawaiian horizon. Here, they do not set. It was a very interesting entertaining night for me.
~ Tunç Tezel

[Beyond]

Owlice, we see so many pictures of the Milky Way all the time, could you please throw in a picture of a Mars bar every now and then

[owlice]

There ya go! Must be snack time!

[bystander]

• Come to the Dark Side!

[owlice]

Mmmmm, dark chocolate -- my favorite!

[nuclearcat]

Two Milky Way images from TUG (Turkish National Observatory).

Click to view full size image

Click to view full size image

Copyright: M. Raşid Tuğral

[Beyond]

Owlice, i was hopeing for an original Mars bar with the nouget inside and the nut on top.
And look at that sneaky bystander! He tried to come in and take over with a "Dark Helmet" snack.
Yum-Yum to the both of ya's

[owlice]

Raşid, thank you very much for adding your beautiful images; I hope other astrophotographers will do the same!

Here are two more recent APOD submissions.

Milky Way Waterfall
http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/697/
Copyright: Masahiro Miyasaka

Click to view full size image

Panorama of the Milky Way over the Valle Ucanca on Tenerife
http://www.altamiraobs.org.es/
Copyright: José Francisco Hernández
[attachment=0]Via Lactea_Mosaico-1-7-Valle Ucanca-r.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[nuclearcat]

Thank you Allice for encouraging us. Afer this words I can't stand without uploading photos

Click to view full size image

If you look carefully there is airglow on the left side.

Click to view full size image

It can be seen easily in this composite.

[nuclearcat]

On the Road

Click to view full size image

On the Road Again

Click to view full size image

[Beyond]

Owlice, i just realized that you have been to New Zealand. Did you ever run into Zena when you were there?

[owlice]

nuclearcat, thanks for posting your images! I hope others will also post theirs!

Owlice, i just realized that you have been to New Zealand. Did you ever run into Zena when you were there?

Noooo, I haven't been to New Zealand (nor have I run into Zena). The New Zealand post was written by Tunç Tezel.

I've never been south of the equator (yet, anyway). Oh, there are so so so so SO many places to go! I've been scarcely anywhere; I want to travel! (First, the kid's college tuition, however, but after that... after that... zooooom!)

[owlice]

Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge
http://www.terrastro.com/galleries/milky-way-shadow/
Copyright: Alex Cheney
[attachment=0]Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[owlice]

Over the Desert
Copyright: Ariana Ahangary
[attachment=0]IMG_9206 Pano.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[owlice]

Over the Grand Canyon
http://www.launchphotography.com
Copyright: Ben Cooper

Click to view full size image

[rstevenson]

Milky Way Shadow at Loch Ard Gorge
http://www.terrastro.com/galleries/milky-way-shadow/
Copyright: Alex Cheney

Beautiful picture Alex. Well worth the drive.

Rob

[owlice]

The Milky Way and the Solar System
http://www.lucperrot.fr/sa/the_milky_wa ... ystem.html
Copyright: Luc Perrot

Click to view full size image 1 or image 2

[owlice]

Over the South of France
http://astroghost.fr
Copyright: François Bernier
[attachment=0]voie-lactee-07-08-2010-edition.jpg[/attachment][/i]

[owlice]

Over Palencia
http://www.cazurro.com/fotoblog
Copyright: Carlos Cazurro
[attachment=0]FOTOBLOG__20100813_1281688787.jpg[/attachment][/i]