Galactic Core Above the Dunes

My image of the Milky Way rising above an isolated desert mosque from the skies of the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪.

This photograph captures the dense star clouds and dark dust lanes near the central region of our galaxy stretching across the night sky over the desert. The old mosque beneath the Milky Way added a quiet and timeless atmosphere to the scene, connecting the beauty of the night sky with the stillness of the desert landscape.

The image was taken using a tracked exposure to reveal finer details within the Milky Way while preserving the natural appearance of the foreground. Slight airglow and distant horizon light can also be seen near the horizon, adding subtle color gradients to the desert sky.

To help preserve the darkness of this location and protect it from increasing light pollution, the exact coordinates are not shared publicly.

Equipment:
Canon 6D Mark II
Samyang 14mm f/2.8
iOptron SkyGuider Pro

Exposure: 93 seconds
ISO: 3200
Aperture: f/4

Adobe Lightroom
And Photoshop