The Diamonds of Bogenfels

Image Title: The Diamonds of Bogenfels

Copyright: vikas chander

Date image was taken: September 24, 2024

Location (was image taken with remote scope?): Namibia.

Image Description and Details: The mining ghost town of Bogenfels lies in the Sperrgebiet in South West Namibia. Sperrgebiet translated from German means the restricted area. The Sperrgebiet is an active diamond mining zone and one risks getting shot if not having the proper credentials and permits to enter the area. In times past the German colonizers had set up diamond mining towns and what we see here is a decrepit washing plant in which diamonds were separated from the soil they were excavated from. The diamonds on the ground are since long gone but the ones in the skies above, remain.

Resolved in the sky we see clockwise, from the Pleiades Star Cluster to the Taurus asterism with its dust clouds, and on to the Witch head Nebula. The distinctive Orion Molecular complex with the Horsehead nebula and the Barnard’s loop take center stage. The Seagull Nebula appears further right before we loop back to the Rosette and Christmas tree Nebula and onward to the Flaming star Nebula before completing the circle at the California Nebula. Whew!

Equipment Details: Camera = Sony A7rV Ha modded
Lens = Sony 12-24 F2.8 GM at 20mm
Tracker = Rainbow Astro RST 135e
Sky Exposure = 300secs F2.8 iso 800 stack of 12
Ground Exposure = 480secs, F2.8 iso 800 LENR LLL
Software = PixInsight, Photoshop

Name: vikas chander

Website or Facebook Profile: http://www.vikaschander.com