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David Chapman
Kedge Beach, Kejimkujik Dark Sky Preserve, Nova Scotia
06/25/2019

Equipment Details:

Canon Digital Rebel SL1, ISO 800, single 180 s exposure on a tracking mount, SamYang 14 mm f/2.8 lens @ f/4

Image Details:

"Spirit Road." To take this photo, I timed my arrival at the southeast-facing beach to be after the end of twilight but before moonrise (a 2-hour window). There was no wind, but the undulating water in the lake stretched out the reflections of the stars and (for one) the star cluster M7 (Ptolomy’s Cluster) near Shaula, the stinger of Scorpius. To the right, above the treeline, is the body and claws of The Scorpion, including the red star Antares (The Rival of Mars) and the globular cluster M4 nearby. Jupiter, just past opposition, dominates the sky, to the right of the collection of dark nebula known as The Prancing Horse. To the right you can pick out The Teapot in Sagittarius, with the “steam” (Milky Way) rising from the spout. The Mi’kmaw First Nation see this as The Spirit Road, carrying the spirits of their departed people to the sky. Many deep-sky objects can be identified along its path. Kejimkujik DSP, declared in 2010 by the RASC, is Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, a traditional home to the Mi’kmaw.

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