Image © Łukasz Żak, shared with permission

On a cold night at the end of January, astrophotographer Łukasz Żak traveled about 150 kilometers from his home in Wołomin near Warsaw to a rural region in northeastern Poland. Near the village of Siemiony, he ventured into -12 degree cold to snap a remarkable set of images that feature a trio of celestial bodies peeking through snow-heavy spruces. After stitching the individual photographs together, he created this stereographic projection that frames the nebulae of the Milky Way, with one of the brightest stars, Capella, at the center and Orion to the upper right.

Żak shares that the composition was only apparent for an hour before the moon illuminated the sky and marred visibility. He describes the experience:

Being in such places, I already know why winter fairy tales and fairy tales were created…The road runs almost exactly from south to north. Such a trail destination majestically presents the Cosmic hunter in the southern skies, the Mythological Orion. Orion rises above the forest, showing its nebular treasures. A seasoned eye will notice the structures of the winter Milky Way and many other constellations.

You can follow a wide range of Żak’s celestial photographs and projections on Instagram. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

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