2nd place
silver star award
Egor Goryachev
germany 
title
Nights under the Southern Sky
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entry description
Namibia is paradise for astrophotography and astronomical observation in the southern hemisphere. This year it was my third trip to this wonderful country. No words can express those feelings when you see the night sky. The pure darkness and the beautiful scenery are crucial for a good shot. I started my journey from Kanaan Retreat where a bunch of dead acacia trees stand in the middle of the desert. They count thousands of years of their age seeing this wonderful sky every day from the Milky Way rise to its set. I spent the night under the stars at this idyllic location. Moving to the north I passed by well-known Sossusvlei. On the way there I stopped by the dead forest of acacia trees leaving my camera for the night of shooting in a programmed mode since it is considered as an area of National Park where it wasn't possible to stay at night. By marking the position on my phone it wasn't difficult to find my gear the next morning. After reaching the northern point of my journey Spitzkoppe I was positively surprised by seeing southern lights. Everybody remembers that night as the northern lights were visible everywhere in Europe. To be correct at this particular place we should call it Aurora Australis. After couple of hours the small red spot on the horizon turned into an explosion of purple and yellow. To see Aurora in Namibia was once in a lifetime event. A bunch of clouds during the night wasn't a problem as they brought some charm to the scene. Watching towards endless hills I was pondering how small we are in the universe and how much we have to discover out there. It seems that by visiting Africa you make a step closer to answer this question.about the photographer
I´m an architect and photographer based in Munich, Germany with a passion to astrophotography. I'm 37 years old and I got into photographing the night sky 3 years ago. Before that I used to practice daylight photography of landscapes and architecture.back to gallery
