Red Rivals in Scorpius
Taken by Alan Dyer on April 14, 2016 @
Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
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Camera Used: Canon Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure Time: 180/1
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 1600
Date Taken: 2016:04:15 10:43:52
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Details:
This was the view last night from my observing site in Australia, of red Mars shining near the red star Antares, whose very name means “rival of Mars.” But as Mars nears its closest approach to Earth next month it is already far brighter than Antares, easily winning the rivalry now.
The first view takes in the head of Scorpius, one of the most colourful areas of the night sky when photographed in long exposures. Uniquely, Antares illuminates a nearby dust cloud with its light which is more yellow than red.
Other dust clouds reflect the blue light of hot young stars in this section of the Milky Way. Red nebulas are emitting their own light from glowing hydrogen.
The area around Antares is also streaked with lanes of dark dust that absorb light and at best appear a dull brown.
The second view takes in Saturn as well, appearing in the same area of sky east of Mars and Antares but technically in Ophiuchus.
Both images are stacks of for 3-minute exposures with a 135mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II camera. I shot these from near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
Photographer's website:
http://www.amazingsky.net
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