Saturday, March 17, 2018

Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

We can allow satellites, planets, suns,

universe, nay whole systems of universes,

to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect,

we wish to be created at once by special act.

--Charles Darwin

The Galapagos Islands offer one of the most extraordinary night skies on Earth. Located almost exactly on the equator, they allow observers to see both the northern and southern celestial hemispheres in a single night — a rare and powerful perspective for astrophotography.

This image is a 40-frame Milky Way panorama, captured over approximately one hour from Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island. Visible in this single panorama are constellations from both skies: Orion, Canis Major, Crux (Southern Cross), Carina, and Centaurus.

Three of the brightest stars in Earth’s night sky appear together: Sirius, Canopus, and Rigel Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri). Subtle red and green airglow is also visible — a natural atmospheric emission that is especially prominent at equatorial latitudes.

Milky Way panorama over the Galapagos Islands showing Orion, Southern Cross, and equatorial airglow

Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

Camera: Canon EOS 60Da
Lens: EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
Panorama: 40 frames (about 1 hour)
Exposure (per frame): 16 s · f/2.8 · ISO 6400
Location: Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

The Galapagos are famous not only for their skies, but also for life forms that appear almost unchanged over millions of years. To capture the true atmosphere of this place, I combined night-sky astrophotography with daytime wildlife photographs — all taken by me.

One more photo: "How to Train Your Dragon"

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galapagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile.

Galapagos marine iguana beneath the Milky Way on Isabela Island, Ecuador

How to Train Your Dragon or Milky Way over Galapagos Astrophotography

Not so much were changes on Galapagos Islands during last 3 millions years!

The blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird. The blue-footed booby is distributed among the continental coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean from California to the Galapagos Islands down into Peru. The blue color of the blue-footed booby's webbed feet comes from carotenoid pigments obtained from its diet of fresh fish.

Blue-footed booby under the Milky Way on Isabela Island, Galapagos

The blue-footed booby and Milky Way Isabela Island Galapagos Ecuador

Frigatebirds (also listed as "frigate bird", "frigate-bird", "frigate", "frigate-petrel") are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. Females have white underbellies and males have a distinctive red gular pouch, which they inflate during the breeding season to attract females.

Frigatebird silhouetted against the Milky Way in the Galapagos Islands

Frigate-bird and Milky Way - Galapagos Islands

Darwin's finches (also known as the Galapagos finches) are a group of about 15 species of passerine birds. During the survey voyage of HMS Beagle, Darwin was unaware of the significance of the birds of the Galapagos. These birds were to play an important part in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Darwin’s finch with cloudy night sky on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

Darwin's Galapagos finch and night cloudy sky Santa Cruz Island

Most of Galapagos Flamingo plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy Flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler European species. Flamingos can only eat with their head upside down. Their beaks have lamellae (thin, flat membranes) which are used to filter the mud.

Galapagos flamingo beneath the Milky Way on Isabela Island

Galapagos Flamingo and Milky Way Astrophotography

The Galapagos tortoise are the largest living species of tortoise. Modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 417 kg (919 lb). Today, giant tortoises exist on only two remote archipelagos: the Galapagos Islands 1000 km due west of mainland Ecuador; and Aldabrachelys gigantea of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania.

Galapagos giant tortoise under the Orion constellation at night

Galapagos giant tortoise and Orion - night sky

These composite images are a deliberate artistic exception for me. They merge sky and life to convey the spirit of the Galapagos — a place where ancient biology and cosmic perspective coexist naturally.