Once-in-8-years Moment

On this shot, the wonderful night sky over the island of Seč lake, the Czech Republic appears just after dusk. Despite the harmful light pollution over the horizon (the yellow glow), the arc of the winter Milky Way can be well seen as well as the faint column of the Zodiacal Light. On right it is me, just meditating under this beauty, sitting on rocks of the Oheb ruins. The bright object is Venus and only once per 8 years, such a view occurs when Venus is in its greatest elongation by the date of the vernal equinox and takes the central stage just “inside” the Zodiacal Light together with Pleiades and Hyades above. Next time this precise view occurs in 2028.

Personal note: As the global coronavirus COVID-19 situation progresses, we all are trying to get in safe type of quarantine. My all hopes are now with all the people who suffer the most and wish them to get over this as soon as possible. As astrophotographer I also spend lot of time alone, significantly far away from civilization and can see how much we all hurt to nature. Light pollution, gas emissions, plastics, felling of forests… When we heal ourselves, we have to start to heal the nature as well.

Captured from Oheb ruins, Seč, Czech Republic, on 15 March 2020. Used Canon 6D Baader modifed, Sigma 35mm, f2.2, ISO 8000, pano of 74 single exposures. Highlighting the nebulae was achieved by using the Optolong-L Pro filter.