Shooting Southern Sky

From the photographer: “Three friends and I went to Perth for a road trip up north to Exmouth for the total Solar eclipse of 20th April 2023. On our way, Carnarvon was one of our nightly stops. In the evening we took a short drive to the west of the town to take a few pictures of the southern hemisphere skies by the Gascoyne river estuary.

Later in the evening, I photographed this view of the western horizon with Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini and Milky Way setting in the west, in strange angles when compared to our usual views from the temperate northern hemisphere. Two friends, Gökhan and Emre were also shooting a few pictures of the same scene, so I went on to catch them in action.

Mars was in Gemini and Betelgeuse was shining brighter than its average; both looking really eye-catching with their reds. The reflections of Mars and the stars look even more colourful, as their lights are nicely diffused by the serene waters of Gascoyne river.

Second image shows the same scenery with the higher sky and more of the southern Milky Way.”