South Atlantic Crossing
by Ralf Rohner
Title
South Atlantic Crossing
Artist
Ralf Rohner
Medium
Photograph
Description
Flight conditions during a South Atlantic crossing are often bumpy, as the track crosses a permanent thunderstorm zone called Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ. This is a belt of low pressure which circles the Earth generally near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. It is characterised by convective activity which generates often vigorous thunderstorms over large areas.
During this flight the ITCZ was not very active, but the conditions would still be considered far from perfect for astrophotography, as there was a quarter moon in the sky and when the ride finally got reasonably smooth, the new day was adding even more light by painting the eastern sky in orange hues.
I therefore was surprised that I was able to capture the southern Milky Way with the famous Eta Carinae Nebula and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The good transparency and thin air of the atmosphere at 11'000 meters helped to limit the scattering of the moonlight and the approaching dawn.
Uploaded
November 8th, 2019
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Viewed 518 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/24/2024 at 1:25 AM
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Comments (1)
Allan Van Gasbeck
Congratulations! Your outstanding artwork has been chosen as a FEATURE in the “Long Exposure and Night Photography ” group on Fine Art America - You are invited to post your featured image to the featured image discussion thread as a permanent place to continue to get exposure even after the image is no longer on the Home Page.