Galactic Center Above the Wild Tulips

A composite photo of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “The winter cold is giving way to spring warmth and the delicate wild tulip flowers of the famous Blufi field in Sicily have begun to wither. It is the normal cycle of nature. We will have to wait a year to enjoy the beauty of this natural spectacle again but in the meantime I carry with me the memory of an evening spent under the stars. The gentle slopes of the fields are covered with thousands of red buds that seem to turn their gaze towards the stars of the Milky Way whose galactic center is rising on the horizon; it is a spectacular and dramatic sight at the same time, with thousands of stars trying to shine among the dark filaments that block the light of the innermost stars.

Among these nebulae the one with the shape of a horse stands out, a rural element that seems to merge with the surrounding landscape from which, I like to imagine, seems to be trotting towards the universe. Everything seems harmonious, including the multiple emission nebulae that stand out in the sky with their magenta color, as if to recall the color of tulips. It is an image that shows the gentle beauty of nature but which, at the same time, seems to project us towards the mysterious depths of the cosmos.

Move the slider on the image to show/hide all labels.”

Technical details: Canon 6d, sigma 50 mm, landscape: f/10, 150 sec, iso 1000, 23 shots
Sky RGB: f/2 60 sec, iso 200, 69 shots + dark + flat, Sky Halpha: f/2, 90 sec, iso 2000, 20 shots +dark + flat