Image Description:

On a rocky summit of an icy planet sits a remote research outpost. This frozen world orbits a inconspicuous star in a minor arm of a giant barred spiral galaxy.

Named after a mythical creature of an ancient culture that once dominated the planet, this scientific outpost is called the Sphinx. The Spinx is mythicized to have mercilessly killed those who couldn't answer her riddle.

The Sphinx station has a prime view on one of the galaxies major star forming regions, named after another mythological figure, a giant hunter. Not all scientific riddles within the hunter are solved yet, but fortunately the Sphinx hasn't killed any scientists so far.

The thin atmosphere of the planet at this high altitude location contains enough water to form clouds, which shroud the observatory in freezing fog about 40% of the time. If the clouds part, the hunter's giant molecular clouds of ionized hydrogen are lighting up the sky.

I had the opportunity to visit the Sphinx outpost with benjaminbarakat in September for a night of astrophotography. After a sternous night, we were happy that both the planet and the mythical creatures had shown mercy. The hunter had made its appearance and we escaped this stunning place without getting killed by lack of oxygen, the cold or the wrath of the Sphinx.

EXIF
Canon EOS EOS Ra
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L ll @ 50mm
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
Sky:
4 panel panorama, each a stack of 7 x 60s @ ISO1600
Foreground:
Panorama of 4x 2s @ ISO400 during blue hour

Copyright: Ralf Rohner