Geminidi and Orion Above the Oxena Water Falls

A photo composite of 13 exposures. From the photographer: “When we think of Sicily, we certainly imagine a land kissed by the sun and caressed by the warm sirocco winds. Its summers are sunny, hot and sometimes sultry. We certainly do not imagine the island as a land full of rivers, lakes and springs. Yet once again this wonderful island is able to amaze us with one of its little hidden treasures: the Oxena River Falls. The river is a gentle stream that resists drought even during the summer thanks to the numerous springs that feed it along its path. Over time, the river has carved out a small gorge that has hosted the flowering of a wonderful Mediterranean flora thanks to the microclimate that has been created there. The river bed has several rocks carried by the currents that testify to a volcanic past of the territory in which it flows. I went to this gem in our naturalistic heritage with a very specific idea: to film the Milky Way and the constellation of Orion above the waterfall taking advantage of the evening of the meteor shower coming from the constellation of twins: the Geminids. The result went beyond my expectations. I chose a lens capable of enhancing the waterfall but I have not given up on framing a fair portion of the sky. During the night Orion rose behind the waterfall, placing itself exactly above the waterfall and showing its wonderful gems, among which Betelgeuse, Rigel, the red W Ori, Barnard’s ring and numerous other nebulae. Meanwhile, the waterfall broke into numerous protrusions separating into slow rivulets that create a silky effect enhanced by careful lighting made with a small LED torch. The Milky Way was filmed at a time when it aligned vertically with the intention of creating a continuum of stars from the sky to the river, from the universe to the earth. Meanwhile, 13 meteors have plowed through the cosmos around the constellation of Orion. Some faint others very bright and colorful creating a stellar frame that points to the constellation of Gemini.”

Technical details: Canon 6d, Sigma 20mm, f/2, 13 sec, iso 3200, 13 shots for the meteors