Legacy Astrophotography: The Milky Way

Legacy Astrophotography: The Milky Way, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

The Milky Way from Scutum to Cepheus. I had longed dreamed of puting together such a mosaic. It was one long night in September, and on a work night no less! The first exposure started at 9:17 PM and the last exposure ended at 1:28 AM, the next morning.

A mosaic of 4 panels, each a 60 minute exposure using a Pentax 67 with 105mm f/2.4 lens at f/4.8, Fujicolor Superia 100. Due to unmanageable color gradiants I decided to convert to b&w to make it publishable. It qualifies for the coveted Legacy category.

The original could make a poster as tall as an interior wall, say 2' x 8'.

Legacy Astrophotography: Northern Milky Way

Legacy Astrophotography: Northern Milky Way, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

It is the end of the road for the Great Rift. The rift ends at the "Northern Coal Sack" just south (right, in this photo)of Deneb. LeGentil 3 (left of center) is often mistaken for the NCS, but as you can see it is not as dark and opaque.

A mosaic of two frames, each a 60 minute exposure using a Pentax 67 with 105mm f/2.4 lens stopped down to f/4.8 and utilizing Fujicolor Superia 100 (CN) photographic film.

Legacy Astrophotography: Summer's Mid-Rift

Legacy Astrophotography: Summer's Mid-Rift, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

I was fortunate to get a night where I could compose two long exposure photographs of our Milky Way's Great Rift, utilizing an equatorial platform.

You will note that Comet Garradd is located just west of Brocchi's Cluster.

A mosaic of two frames, each employed the use of a Pentax 67 camera and 165 f/2.8 portrait lens stopped to f/4.8 and a 60 minute exposure on Fujicolor Superia 100 (CN) photographic film. The two frames were scanned on an Epson V600 and assembled in Adobe Photoshop.

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The Legacy Project is a planned sequence of photographs of the night sky. Over the last several years astrophotographers have switched to digital as the medium of choice. While there are many reasons to do this, film is still a great way to capture wide-field images of the Milky Way and the sky in general.

The project's mission is to continue film's "Legacy" as a medium for long exposure images of the night sky.

The sequence of photos started in October 2009 and will end at a point yet to be determined.

Great care has been given to compose, expose, and process each image. Only the best combination of film, lenses and exposure times are used.

Each image is shot under the dark skies of my home in Maine.

My goal is to produce the finest images obtainable with film emulsions.

Kodak Gold 100 Test: Messier 8 Region

Gold 100 Test: Messier 8 Region, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

In August I exposed some Kodak Gold 100 to see how it would record nebulae.

This image was acquired via a Pentax Spotmatic with a vintage 300mm f/4 SMC Takumar wide open with 30 minutes exposure.

While the film did record the red and blue components of the Trifid nebulae, it does not seem to do as well as Fujicolor 100 which I tested earlier this summer.

Kodak Gold 100 still paints a nice picture, whether it be daylight or nightime. Too bad this film is difficult to obtain and perhaps is being discontinued.

The Arrow and Fox in the Deep Dark Rift

The Arrow and Fox in the Deep Dark Rift, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Located within the "bend" in the Great Rift lies Vulpecula, the fox and Sagitta, the arrow.

This image features many of the prominent dark intricacies that compose the Great Rift as is meanders through the backbone of night.

At center, Collinder 399, Brocchi's cluster, often called the Coathangar, floats in the darkness of the rift on a summer's evening.

Shoreline Reflections

Shoreline Reflections, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Moonlight dances in a shallow pool as waves caress the shoreline at Schoodic Point, Winter Harbor, Maine.

Spotmatic II 35mm@f/8 15 minutes on Acros 100.

Kodak Portra 160 Test

Kodak Portra 160 Test, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Please, no rave reviews. This is a dull film to shoot the skies with, but since films are no longer tested for astrophotography, I thought I would post for the curious. Sorta looks like what you would get with an unmodded DSLR. No offense meant to digital SLR users.

Pentax 67 165mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8 30 minute exposure on the new Kodak Portra 160.