Milky Way and Minya Konka Mountain

September 01, 2013

Minya konka1200 (3)

Photographer: Jeff Dai; Jeff's Web site
Summary Authors: Jeff Dai; Jim Foster

The image above shows a view of the Milky Way as observed over Mount Gongga (aka Minya Konka) in the Sichuan province of China. The glow of zodiacal light can be discerned above the distant mountains. Snow capped Minya Konka (center), at 24,790 ft (7,556 m), is the loftiest peak in Sichuan province. It's referred to as the "King of the Sichuan Mountains". The scene was recorded from the 15,420 ft (4,700 m) Tsemi Pass, decorated at this time of year by alpine azaleas (Kalmia procumbens). Note that the valley below is completely enveloped by stratus clouds. Photo taken on June 14, 2013.

Photo details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Focal Length: 16.0 mm; Exposure Time: 77.000 s; ISO equiv: 2500; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows).