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Christoph Stopka
Westcliffe, Colorado
03/01/2022
07:36 pm

Equipment Details:

Nikon D 850 with 14mm lens, Manfrotto tripod

Post-processing Details:

Minimal work in Lightroom

Image Details:

I took this image last evening and it shows the magnificent Zodiacal Light glowing very impressively in the Western night sky over the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, part of the Colorado Rockies. Also visible is the Milky way across the top of the right side, the Andromeda Galaxy below the Milky Way and even a meteor streaking through the scene (to the left of Andromeda Galaxy). Zodiacal Light is a phenomenon that's created by sunlight illuminating microscopic particles of interplanetary space dust, orbiting the sun. This extraordinary sight can be experienced best about 90 minutes after sunset (preferably around New Moon phases) during the months of February, March and into April.
Enjoy!

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