Witness the unique celestial beauty of "Ring of the Galaxy," an extraordinary image by astrophotographer Bartosz Wojczynski

Unique view of our galaxy taken over the Namibian desert, under one of the darkest night sky in the world. Using panorama, and specific transformation of the spherical image, disk of the Milky Way looks like a ring over the small Earth. It's more than only a technique, that’s the image showing how small is our planet versus our galaxy.

At the center of the image, you can see the core of the Milky Way, flanked by the constellations Scorpio and the Rho Ophiuchi Nebula. The brightest object in the photograph is Jupiter, captured near its closest opposition to Earth, shining brilliantly in the night sky. The photo also beautifully captures the Great Rift, a series of dark dust clouds that obscure the center and most radial sectors of the Milky Way from our earthly perspective.

One of the best structures of the Milky Way in this photograph is the Great Rift (sometimes called the Dark Rift), it is a nearby dark dust cloud that significantly obscures the center and most radial sectors of the Milky Way galaxy from Earth’s perspective. 

Ideal for astronomy enthusiasts, night sky admirers, and art lovers, this print brings the awe-inspiring grandeur of the cosmos into your living space. Elevate your home's décor with this mesmerizing piece and let the boundless beauty of the universe inspire you daily.

Photo details

• Date & Time: 2019 July 7th/8th; 23:48 ~ 00:15 CAT
• Location: Tivoli Astro-Farm, Namibia
• Optics: Samyang 24mm f1.4 ED AS UMC
• Camera: Nikon D810A
• Mount: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer
• Tripod: Manfrotto MT055XPRO3
• Composition
  • 19 pane mosaic in stereographical projection:
  • 3 rows of 6 panes spaced 60° apart azimuthally and aimed at altitudes -20°, +20°, +60°
  • 1 pane aimed at zenith
• Exposure
  • Bottom row: 30 seconds per pane, ISO 1600, 0.5x tracking speed
  • Middle row: 1 minute per pane, ISO 800
  • Top row & zenith: 2 minutes per pane, ISO 400
  • 24 mm, f/2
  • 23 minutes total
• Calibration
  • 40 bias frames
  • 40 flat frames
• Processing
  • DeepSkyStacker: calibrate
  • Microsoft ICE: compose mosaic
  • Adobe Photoshop CC: ACR filter

Author of the photo: Bartosz Wojczyński

Astronomy lover with over ten years of experience in the field of astrophotography. Winner of many prestigious awards, incl. Astrobin Image of the Day and NASA APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day). Organizer of astrophotographic expeditions to the darkest places on our planet. Bartosz appreciates versatility and diversity – his photographic output includes both deep sky photos, extreme close-ups of the moon, and astroscapes that show the beauty of outer space in a wide field. On a daily basis he works as a specialist in image processing and 3D graphics.