Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring "The Milky Way Center (Gigapixel Series)" by Bartosz Wojczynski
This extraordinary photograph captures the Galactic Center, the rotational heart of our Milky Way, a region dominated by the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, which boasts 4.100 million solar masses.
Located 26,670 light-years away in the direction of the constellations Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpius, the Galactic Center is where the Milky Way shines brightest.
This captivating image features a dense star field, with around 10 million stars within one parsec of the center, including red giants, massive supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars from a burst of star formation about a million years ago.
One of the largest images of the cosmos ever taken from Earth
Captured using a unique observational setup with two identical telescopes optimized for astrophotography, Wojczynski collected this detailed mosaic over the course of a single night. This kind of configuration allows for covering large portions of the night sky in a short time - the entire photographic material was collected over the course of a single night. Each of the 110 panes (55 per telescope) was exposed for 4 minutes, resulting in a total resolution of nearly 2.5 gigapixels.
The result is one of the largest photographs of the cosmos ever taken from the surface of our planet, with unparalleled detail and an abundance of deep sky objects included in a single image.
This picture was created on a desert farm in Namibia, many miles from the nearest settlement, in an area completely free of artificial light pollution.
Photo details
- Date & Time: 2021 May 13th; 00:15 ~ 04:45 CAT
- Location: Tivoli Astro-Farm, Namibia
- Optics: 2 x Takahashi Epsilon 130D
- Camera: 2 x Nikon D810A
- Mount: Losmandy G11
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Guider
- Lacerta MGEN II
- ZWO 30/120 guide scope
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Composition
- 110 pane mosaic (11 columns, 10 rows); 55 per camera
- Mosaic planned in Periapsis
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Exposure
- 4 minutes per pane
- 430 mm, f/3.3, ISO 400
- 7 hours 20 minutes total
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Calibration
- 100 bias frames per camera
- 80 flat frames per camera
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Processing
- DeepSkyStacker: calibrate
- Microsoft ICE: compose mosaic
- Adobe Photoshop CC: subtract skylight, ACR filter
With a passion for astronomy and over a decade of experience in astrophotography, Bartosz has won numerous prestigious awards, including Astrobin's Image of the Day and NASA's APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day).
As an organizer of astrophotographic expeditions, Bartosz ventures to the darkest corners of the globe. His photographic expertise spans a diverse range, from deep sky images and extreme lunar close-ups to breathtaking astroscapes that showcase the splendor of outer space in a wide field. In his day-to-day work, Bartosz specializes in image processing and 3D graphics.
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Hey there, space enthusiasts! I’m Adam Jesionkiewicz, the founder of Astrography. A few years ago, I decided to step off the corporate ladder and follow my lifelong dream—immersing myself in the breathtaking beauty of the cosmos. Astrography isn't just a business; it's a sanctuary for anyone captivated by the stars, planets, and galaxies far, far away.