Andromeda Galaxy Over Mount Etna

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “Enhancing one’s territory under the sky is for me an opportunity to make the beauties of my land known to the world and remind us that the sky is good for all the people of the world and that it does not allow boundaries to be imposed. Just as I admire many astronomical photographs of fantastic places on our planet, in the same way I hope that others will do the same with photographs of Sicily. My hope is that general awareness of how wonderful our planet is in the hope that, in this way, each of us can contribute, even slightly, to increase, especially in future generations, the desire to protect it.

I’ve been researching this shot for some time. I braved the cold (-6.5 ° C). I waited patiently for the Andromeda galaxy to travel its celestial path to place itself right above the southeastern crater of Mount Etna. Silence enveloped the wood on the slopes of the volcano and the snow let itself to be crushed by my footsteps resonating with that dull, creaking sound that has all the charm of the winter season.

After the shots, I noticed a small house surrounded by trees! “The details are important!” (Cit.) It is appropriate to say it. That small white house restores the proportions of the landscape and, looking at the mountain, makes us understand how majestic the volcano is.

Click the second image to see the configuration in a single shot at very high iso to attest the the veracity of the scene.”

Technical details: Canon 6d mod, sigma 105mm, f/2,
sky: 105 shots, 20 sec, iso 1600 tracked + 36 flat + 36 dark flat + 36 dark frame
Landscape: 34 shots same parameters
tracked by vixen Polarie