frikosalNight begins in Easter Island

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I had only two days to photograph the stars in Easter Island. The first day the sky was covered with clouds so I feared my very long trip from Spain would be in vain. Just after sunset I was in Ranu Raraku, the amazing place where all the moais were being carved and then left abandoned for reasons not known. I was near this moai, to me the most beautiful because of its strange angle, almost falling, and the sky was still covered. I prayed to see at least one star, one single star that could justify my visit to that place, a visit that I had been preparing during years. Then, as a miracle, the sky opened. It was still blue but the air was so clean that Southern Cross, Alpha and Beta Centauri could already be seen. Half an hour later the sky was splendid, with the Milky Way and the Magellan Clouds so with tears in my eyes I could take exactly the photo I had in my mind, and then run quickly to the other moais I wanted to photograph. I only had one hour and then one hour more at dawn.

#1741
2009年7月11日 7時20分0秒 露出 30秒
Tripod F2.8 Noise reduction: Normal ISO 800
Easter Island
望遠鏡:ニコン AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED
カメラ:ニコン D700
14mm
Nikon Capture NX, minor adjustments in photoshop