Starry sky photos in good quality. The most beautiful night sky objects worth seeing (12 photos)

The night sky is full of incredible beauty objects that can be seen even with the naked eye. If you do not have special equipment to look at the sky - it does not matter, some amazing things can be seen without it.

Spectacular comets, bright planets, distant nebulae, twinkling stars and constellations can all be found in the night sky.

The only important thing to remember is the light pollution in big cities. In the city, the light from the lanterns and windows of knowledge is so strong that all the most interesting things in the night sky are hidden, so to see these amazing things, you should go out of town.

light pollution

brightest planet

A very hot neighbor of the Earth - Venus can rightfully be proud of the title of the brightest planet in the sky. The brightness of the planet is due to highly reflective clouds, as well as the fact that it is close to the Earth. Venus is about 6 times brighter than Earth's other neighbors Mars and Jupiter.

Venus is brighter than any other object in the night sky, with the exception of the Moon, of course. Its maximum apparent magnitude is about -5. For comparison: the apparent magnitude of the full moon is -13, that is, it is about 1600 times brighter than Venus.

In February 2012, there was a unique conjunction of the three brightest objects in the night sky: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon, which could be seen just after sunset.

brightest star

In 1997, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found that the brightest known star is a star located 25,000 light-years away. This star releases 10 million times more energy than the Sun. In size, this star is also much larger than our star. If you place it in the center of the solar system, it will take the orbit of the Earth.
Scientists have suggested that this large star, located in the region of the constellation Sagittarius, creates a cloud of gas around it, which is called the Pistol Nebula. Thanks to this nebula, the star also received the name Pistol Star.

Unfortunately, this amazing star is not visible from Earth due to the fact that it is hidden by the dust clouds of the Milky Way. The brightest star in the night sky is the star Sirius, located in the constellation Big Dog. The magnitude of Sirius is -1.44.

You can observe Sirius from anywhere on Earth, except for the northern regions. The brightness of a star is explained not only by its high luminosity, but also by its relatively close distance. Sirius is located approximately 8.6 light years from the solar system.

The most beautiful star in the sky

Many stars are known for their brilliance in different colors, such as the blue and orange Albireo star system, or the bright red giant star Antares. However, the most beautiful of all the stars visible to the naked eye can be called the red-orange star Mu Cephei, which is also called the "garnet star of Herschel" in honor of its first explorer, British astronomer William Herschel.

The red giant Mu Cephei is located in the constellation Cepheus. It is a pulsating variable star and its maximum brightness varies from 3.7 to 5.0. The color of the star also changes. Most of the time, Mu Cephei is a rich orange-red, but sometimes it takes on a strange purple hue.

Although Mu Cephei is a little dull, its reddish hue can be seen even with the naked eye, and if you take a simple pair of binoculars, the sight will be more impressive.

The most distant space object

The farthest object visible to the naked eye is the Andromeda galaxy, which contains about 400 billion stars and was noticed back in the 10th century by the ancient Persian astronomer Al Sufi. He described this object as "a small cloud".

Even if armed with binoculars or an amateur telescope, Andromeda will still look like a slightly elongated blurry spot. But still, it is very impressive, especially if you know that the light from it gets to us in 2.5 million years!

By the way, the Andromeda galaxy is approaching our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers have estimated that the two galaxies will merge in about 4 billion years, with Andromeda visible as a bright disk in the night sky. However, it is not yet known whether those who wish to look at the sky will remain on Earth after so many years.

From time immemorial, beautiful, mysterious and so distant stars have excited people's minds, forcing them to dream, create and seek the truth, help lost souls and ships find their way, predict fate. One has only to look into the starry sky on a moonlit night, it seems that here they are, myriads of stars, right above your head, but in fact, the distance to the nearest star to Earth, called the Sun, is 150 million km.

Photo of the starry sky at night.
Photo: a man shines a flashlight into the starry sky.
Starry sky, photo from the USA.
Stars in the night sky and the Milky Way.
Starry sky, mountains and forest in winter.
Starry sky: panoramic photo in the forest.
The Milky Way against the background of the starry sky.
Starry sky: photo over village houses.
A rainbow of stars in the sky.
Mountains under the starry sky.
Beautiful photo under the starry sky.
Photo: lighthouse against the background of the starry sky.
Starry sky over the lake.

Photo from Mexico: starry sky over cacti.

Starry sky in the desert of Mexico.
Cycle of stars in the sky.
Beautiful night photo of the starry sky.
Starry Sky: Photo of a beautiful swirling clear sky at night.

Even with a telescope, contemplation of heavenly bodies in a metropolis can be difficult and it is almost impossible to get a high-quality photo of the starry sky. But outside the city, for example, any inhabitant of the northern hemisphere with good eyesight can admire, for example, the Andromeda Nebula.

How many stars are in the sky

It is not surprising that people began to count the stars long before the invention of optical instruments. So, in the 2nd century BC. e. the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus began to compile a list of stars, which was subsequently supplemented by the famous Ptolemy to 1022 pieces. In the 17th century, the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius added 511 more stars to the list and started building a telescope.

Thanks to the advanced technologies of modern civilization, scientists managed to calculate the approximate number of stars in our galaxy, they turned out to be a little over 200 billion. Such a number can literally be called astronomical, giving each star a name and cataloging it turned out to be unrealistic. Therefore, the modern official list of astronomical objects includes only 0.01% of the stars visible in powerful telescopes.

Attention was given to the closest, largest and brightest stars, which, for ease of classification, were combined into constellations.

How stars are born

The process of star formation in a nutshell: part of the interstellar gas begins to shrink under the influence of its own gravity and takes the form of a hot ball inside. When the temperature reaches a certain value, a thermonuclear reaction starts, the gas stops compressing and a new star lights up in the sky.

The celestial body spends most of its life in this state, and then the fuel reserves are depleted and the star begins to "age". The lifespan of a star depends on its size: the largest ones live very little by astronomical standards - a few million years, and due to their bright blue glow they are called blue supergiants.

Every star occupies in outer space certain place, and the largest accumulation of objects that are clearly visible in the starry sky is called stellar associations.

The most famous representatives of the starry sky

Scientists have long noticed how different these points glowing in the night sky are and tried to study the most interesting ones.

All navigators know the North Star from the constellation Ursa Minor as the most important landmark indicating the northern direction. In fact, the North Star consists of 3 stars, the average of which is 2 thousand times brighter than the Sun.

The red supergiant Antares from the constellation Scorpio shines especially brightly in May, when it opposes the Sun in the sky. Due to its brightness and color, Antares played an important role in the religious rites of the ancient peoples, and in medieval Rome, the star was considered a fallen angel.

Sirius is the brightest double star in the southern hemisphere in the constellation Canis Major, estimated to be 230 million years old. Today, the star can also be observed in the northern hemisphere, although scientists predict that in 11 thousand years it will become impossible to see Sirius over Europe.

Zeta Korma is the most powerful and hottest blue supergiant that can be seen without a telescope on a clear night at the latitude of Sochi and Vladivostok.

In the warm season, a triangle is clearly visible in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere, one of the peaks of which burns especially brightly. This is Altair - the brightest diamond in the constellation Eagle and the 12th brightest celestial body.

Scientists and pragmatists calculate the distance to the stars and their age, while romantics, dreaming under the starry sky, are sure: if the stars are lit, someone needs it.

“The sky is very black. The earth is blue. Everything can be seen very clearly,” Yuri Gagarin.

Every year, the number of stars visible in the night sky is mercilessly reduced. The lights of big cities outshine the night luminaries, and there are fewer and fewer places where you can see the magical starry sky. But, fortunately, there are still untouched corners where the most dark sky and the brightest stars. And you don't have to leave our planet to see them. Forward! To the stars!

Atacama Desert (Chile)

The harsh Atacama Desert, with its landscapes more reminiscent of the surface of Mars, is one of the most the best venues to observe the stars on earth. Due to the high location, dry climate and the absence of artificial light nearby, the sky is always clear and clear. Almost perfect visibility allows contemplators of the starry sky to admire the legends southern hemisphere- the Tarantula Nebula and the constellation of galaxies. And the local Paranal Observatory boasts the largest telescope in the world. The observatory invites travelers who want to see the stars to stay at the Residencia hotel, which many saw in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.

Natural Bridges National Monument (Utah, USA)

Here, among the bizarre arches and bridges created by the hands of nature, the Milky Way is better than anywhere else. You don't even need a telescope to see its structure clearly. Natural Bridges National Monument is one of the darkest places in the US. So be sure the "lights of the big city" will not interfere with admiring the starry sky.

Wiruna (New South Wales, Australia)

Above the eucalyptus forests in New South Wales, the darkest sky in Australia. Here, about 405 square meters are allocated for the study of the starry sky. km of land. The area is owned by the local Astronomical Society, which hosts the South Pacific Star Party every year. Every year up to half a thousand "star" tourists come to stare at this amazing sky.

Tuscany (Italy)

Probably the most popular place in Europe for stargazing. Among the Tuscan hills of unearthly beauty, astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei first directed the telescope he built into the sky. This Italian region the best place to observe cosmic phenomena that Galilee was lucky to see for the first time - sunspots, the mountainous surface of the Moon and four satellites of Jupiter (known as the Galilean satellites).

Namibrand Nature Reserve International Reserve (Namibia)

The largest natural reserve in Africa is increasingly attracting not only safari lovers, but also stargazers from all over the world. At night you will not see anything here - only the sky. Wherever you turn - stars, stars and more stars. A unique 360-degree panorama is worth it to spend the night under the open African sky.
Galloway Forest Park (Scotland, UK)
The sky over Galloway Park is called the darkest in Europe. About 7000 stars and planets are visible here even without a telescope. In addition, the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh organizes group and individual tours for star hunters.

With a sky full of thousands of stars, I immediately wanted to learn how to shoot the same way. I took the camera, went out into the street ... and, of course, nothing worked out for me the first time. I had to read a little, practice. But it turned out to be much easier than I thought. In my article I will give some simple tips, which will help the happy owners of DSLRs to sort out the issue. I must say right away that shooting other galaxies and spectacular nebulae will not be described here: the technique of such shooting is too complicated.

What will be needed?

We will start, by the way, not with technology. For me, it is not an end in itself to capture some piece of the night sky. This is an occupation for an astronomer, not a photographer. Stars for me are a spectacular way to decorate the landscape. A landscape photography always begins with the choice of place and time. Over time, everything is very simple: you need a cloudless night. Summer or winter outside - the difference is not so great. Of course, in cold weather, the matrix heats up less at slow shutter speeds, there is less noise in the photographs. But the photographer freezes at the same time too quickly. As a result, I would not give priority to either summer or winter.

The place should not only look impressive, but also be as far as possible from the villages and cities illuminated by lanterns. They give a light in the sky, against which the stars are simply not visible. So it is best to take such shootings somewhere in the country in the suburbs, and ideally - to leave a hundred kilometers from civilization.

Now we come to the question of technology. Better if you have a SLR. But with mirrorless you can achieve good results, you will only have to face the problems of focusing in the dark. Optics are most often needed wide-angle. I often use 14mm and 16mm lenses full frame. But the kit lens that comes with your amateur camera is also quite suitable. One thing you definitely can't do without is a tripod. The shutter speeds will be long and the camera needs to be securely fixed. A trigger cable will also be useful. Although the first time will be able to do without it. It is enough to use a shutter delay so that the vibrations of the camera from touch have time to calm down by the time the shutter opens. Don't forget to dress for the weather, and also get a flashlight - the more powerful the better. We charge the batteries and set off into the night ...

exposure parameters

This is where newbies have the most questions. Let's start with the simplest case - shooting a landscape on a cloudless moonlit night. We put the camera on a tripod, lower the ISO to 200 units (most often this is just enough). Try to close the aperture not too much, not more than f / 4-f / 5.6. And select the shutter speed in manual mode experimentally to match the brightness of the photo to your creative intent. Attention: the shutter speed may be too long! If your camera cannot work out such a slow shutter speed in manual mode (in some models, the shutter speed is limited to 30 s), carefully increase the ISO.

Focusing

The next problem is focus. At night, it is not possible to automatically focus on dark skies. And in the viewfinder, most likely, nothing is visible at all. We do this: we find distant lights on the horizon (they are almost always and everywhere) and try to manually focus on them. You can take a few control shots and, if necessary, correct the focusing. If the foreground appears in the frame (and what kind of landscape is without a foreground?), then it makes sense to focus on it, after illuminating it with a flashlight.

She's spinning!

In the stream of endless affairs and everyday worries, we often forget about such simple things as the rotation of the earth. The stars in the sky never stand in one place. They are constantly moving relative to the ground. Although there are exceptions to every rule. The North Star still moves the least during the day. And approximately we can say that it stands still. Everything else revolves around her. On short exposures this is not visible, but on long ones it is perfectly noticeable! If you want to get star-points in the picture, then try to shoot at relatively fast shutter speeds. If you want dashes instead of dots, increase the shutter speed.

"Six Hundred Rule"

There is a rule of thumb that allows you to determine the shutter speed at which the stars in the frame, due to the rotation of the earth, begin to turn from dots into dashes. It's called the six hundred rule. Divide the number 600 by the equivalent focal length your lens and you will get the length of the corresponding shutter speed in seconds. For a 16mm fisheye, for example, shutter speeds up to 37s can be used. And for a kit lens with a wide angle of 18 mm, it is better not to exceed the value of 20 s.

When it's completely dark

In some cases, we manage to get so far away from civilization that the light of its cities is not visible at all in the sky. In this case, we have a chance to capture the spectacular Milky Way. Feel free to set the maximum allowable shutter speed, open the aperture a little wider and try increasing the ISO. Where the human eye saw just a dark sky, the camera sees much more!

Adding Light

Have you forgotten about the flashlight yet? With it you can highlight the details of the foreground. You can use color filters to achieve multi-colored highlights.

star tracks

A little higher, I wrote that at a slow shutter speed you can capture the movement of stars. What if the shutter speed is too long? In fact, many problems will arise in this case: from overheating of the matrix to the need to close the aperture strongly. And if you want to shoot the movement of stars across the sky, it is better to take several dozen frames from one place with a shutter speed of about 15-30 seconds, and then glue them automatically into one picture using a simple and free program startrails.

Astronomy Day in 2015, it fell on April 25 (more precisely, on the night of April 25 to 26). By this day, astronomers are trying to coincide with various exhibitions, and also share their photographs of the starry sky. This is exactly what Culturology.RF will do today - your attention is provided with beautiful pictures of the night sky, full of shining stars, from which it simply takes your breath away.

Astronomy Day began to be celebrated in the United States in 1973, bringing together disparate events that had previously been timed to coincide with eclipses, the appearance of comets and other similar phenomena. This day is not a fixed date, it changes every year, but in any case, the day of astronomy is held from Saturday to Sunday during the period from April to May, when the Moon enters the phase of the first quarter.

Recently, there has been more and more discussion of light pollution problem environment. If for an ordinary inhabitant this does not present a particular problem, then for astronomers every year it becomes more and more difficult to work in such conditions. On this moment from observatories located within the boundaries of large cities (for example, at universities or research centers) only the brightest stars can be seen, the rest become "invisible" no matter how good the telescope is.

It is precisely because of light pollution (street lighting, disco spotlights, light on industrial complexes) to create a truly beautiful shot of the starry sky, it is advised to move as far as possible from the cities. Of course, you need to take into account that you will need a tripod and, at a minimum, learn how to use the shutter speed on the camera in advance. Depending on the desired result, the shutter speed can be set from 30 seconds to an hour. Of course, the first time you have to tinker and adjust to the settings before you get a decent result, but when you get it - it's akin to magic: stars appear in the picture that are not visible to the naked eye. As in the magical pictures in our review.