Astrophotographer Gerardo Ferrarino was walking with his 70-year-old mother Mabel, his sister and his grandchildren through Villa Traful (Neuquen), 100 kilometers from Bariloche, when he noticed the sky and its reflection in a lake on the way to a waterfall. Truffle. Then he learned patiently Your vision can become a good image.
The shot was so beautiful that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected his photo taken in Patagonia, Argentina. “The astronomical image of today” (Astronomical image of today). An honor won by a few great professionals and coveted by many. Because the recognition on the NASA website is a medal Separate the best from the best Astrophotographers of the world without formal competition.
The photograph was released on September 10 under the name «Galaxy by the lake».
“East Panoramic night panorama The 180-degree acquisition captures our Milky Way as it swings over the horizon on a winter’s night in August. At midnight, the galactic center is close to apex with the clear waters of the Earth in Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina, South America, “says the NASA description.
Ferrarino is from Waitama and spends most of his time in Bahia Creek, 95 kilometers from the capital Rio Negro. Particularly dark That these scenes are necessary.
Another infinite “gem” that he collected at Bahia Creek in the Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light years from Ferrarino. As early as 2020, NASA itself was recognized in space.
«In 2014 I was one Basic photography course. Everyone goes the way of him, in my case I have always loved nature and night photography. I started photographing night skies and starscapes. And in 2018 I went to Bahia Blanca to take an astrophoto just in time. From there it came to my mind Interest in astronomy“, remembers the photographer who has always lived in the Patagonian resort, who manages the cabins in Las Crutas in the summer.
A story about a photograph
As for the latest NASA-recognized photo, it has a special flavor because it’s Mom’s 70th birthday. On the way to a waterfall, Ferrarino An important clue to the image was found.
“With my mother, my sister and my grandchildren, we took a short detour to Villa Traful to see a waterfall. We went to Traful for his birthday. After completing that walk, it felt like going to the lake. There is an on-site camp that operates only during the summer season. I went to the camp and came to the beach, by the lake, beautiful, says the photographer.
“I started noticing the snow-capped peaks very close to me and thought it would work well for a photo. The lake is very shallow, it is not deep, you can see all the rocks in the photo, clear water and the forecast said there would be no wind. I was there. I heard it It could be a good movie For all these conditions that were happening, “he continues.
“We returned at 10:30 pm with a keeper of the cabins I was staying in, left the truck and went downstairs. About 45 minutes to focus and take pictures. I took 10 photos. “When I came back, I started editing them and that’s when I realized I left a good image,” she concludes.
Ferrarino has climate, lighting and special details Psychology too It should be okay to take pictures Capture the night sky at its fullest extent.
“There are a lot of images of this kind in the program. There are a lot of conditions that have to happen for them to happen. First, you don’t need a light-polluted sky. You have to be there. Away from the big cities And with a very dark sky, “he explains.
As if that weren’t enough, the astrophotographer must take into account the rotation of the Earth to create his image. “When it comes to nature shots like Villa Traful, the rotation of the planet moves the sky, so you have very little time to take that photo. Maximum 20 secondsinstead, the star begins to become a line, a trace due to the rotation of the Earth itself. When taking photographs in deep space Compensate for the Earth’s rotation With an equatorial mountain, it follows the object in the sky, “he describes.
“At Villa Trafoul there are 2 skies on a table, 9 on the table scale is the worst (situation) and 1 is the best. Traful is a very dark and very clear sky. Nor does the moon have to be, why It works like a big lamp Hides faint objects in the large room. If there was a full moon or a quarter moon, not all observations would be visible. The weather should be good, cloudless, windless. In this case it creates small waves and no wind The sky was almost reflected in the lake«, Ra Chi Tu.
“When I went there in the afternoon, I looked all over the country so as not to cause confusion when I go there at night, and I kind of imagined how I would photograph it. I took 10 photos at night because I wanted to cover 180 degrees.” I took five photos, one at sea, one on land and five more with the tripod facing up to capture the entire arc of the galactic center, “he recalls.
Achieving such a powerful catch is a requirement, the expert warns Extensive technical knowledge. “Nobody knows what’s behind a photograph, the work that goes into it and the knowledge it takes to achieve such an end result. There are times when everything is going well and times when you are frustrated because at night you don’t get. what you want, he adds.
The connection between astrophysics and astronomy is clear and necessary, he says.
“The photograph I take takes you into space Astronomy is exciting. To understand a little about the position of our planet in the solar system, then the galaxy, then the group of galaxies, the distances, the impressive objects, from high school to know where all the elements of the periodic table that we once studied came from, the heart of the stars, the light of places so far away, he says.
And remember: “Another time I took a picture of the Andromeda galaxy. It is 2.5 million light years away, which means the light you pick up on your camera sensor. From there it emerged 2.5 million years ago. You are looking at a galaxy of 2.5 million years ago. All that kind of thing will blow your mind“.
Bariloche. Journalist
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