Milky Way over Isola delle Correnti

The photograph was captured at approximately 11:00 PM (23:00 CEST) on July 17, 2026, near Isola delle Correnti, the southernmost point of Sicily, Italy, where the Ionian Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea.

The image depicts the Galactic Centre of the Milky Way rising above the island, with the lighthouse beam reflecting across the sea and naturally guiding the viewer's eye toward the star-filled sky. The bright central bulge of our Galaxy lies in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, approximately 27,000 light-years from Earth. Also visible are several prominent summer constellations, including Scorpius (with the bright red star Antares), Ophiuchus and Aquila (with Altair).

Camera: Nikon D750 (full-frame DSLR)
Lens: Samyang 14 mm f/2.8
Mount: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro (star tracker)

Sky
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Samyang 14 mm
Star tracker used
30 stacked exposures
ISO 800
Aperture: f/3.2
Exposure time: 45 seconds per frame

Foreground
4 untracked exposures
ISO 400
Aperture: f/4
Exposure time: 30 seconds per frame
Processing

The sky images were calibrated, aligned, and stacked using DeepSkyStacker to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The RAW files were then developed in Adobe Lightroom Classic, while the final image was completed in Adobe Photoshop, where the tracked sky and the static foreground were blended and refined to achieve a natural representation of the scene while preserving the finest details of the Galactic Centre.