For this memorable trip to Peru and Bolivia we used the services of Kuoda Travel based in Peru. A few weeks before the trip, Sheila and I were having a conversation with the Founder and President of Kuoda Travel, Mery Calderon. I casually mentioned to Mery that I love taking night sky photos and had been looking forward to take photos of the Milky Way during our trip. Mery immediately offered that she would provide me a car with a driver and a guide during one of the nights. The plan was to visit a dark sky location so that I can capture the Milky Way. On our second evening at Cusco, after dinner, Alex and Marcos from Kuoda Travel picked me up from the San Blas Hotel and drove to a dark sky location about 30+ minutes from Cusco city. We pulled over to the side of the road and I setup my camera on the tripod.
The location was at a higher elevation than Cusco's 11,200 feet. The sky was very clear and the Moon hadn't risen yet. The Milky Way was clearly visible to the naked eyes. I was thrilled to see the Southern hemisphere constellations Corona Australis, Centaurus, Southern Cross, Triangulam Australe and the dark clouds of the southern Milky Way. These deep sky objects are visible only from the southern hemisphere. I spent around 45 minutes enjoying the Milky Way with my naked eyes as well as taking many photos. Alex and Marcos were very much interested in what I was doing and saw every photo I took. Half way through the photo session, another car pulled over. It was a local security guard who got suspicious of us. :) Once Alex explained what was going on, he drove away.
The Milky Way played a significant role in the life, culture and the religion of the Incas. Especially, the Incas' mythologies are woven around the dark nebulae seen in the Milky Way. The picture below is from Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun) in Cusco, Peru. It depicts the Milky Way and the dark clouds venerated by the Incas.
This is my first attempt in taking and putting together a Milky Way Panorama. I am delighted that it turned out to be good. While Kuoda Travel did an outstanding job with this trip from planning to execution, this photo shoot would not have been possible without Mery's kindness and help from Alex and Marcos :)
The location was at a higher elevation than Cusco's 11,200 feet. The sky was very clear and the Moon hadn't risen yet. The Milky Way was clearly visible to the naked eyes. I was thrilled to see the Southern hemisphere constellations Corona Australis, Centaurus, Southern Cross, Triangulam Australe and the dark clouds of the southern Milky Way. These deep sky objects are visible only from the southern hemisphere. I spent around 45 minutes enjoying the Milky Way with my naked eyes as well as taking many photos. Alex and Marcos were very much interested in what I was doing and saw every photo I took. Half way through the photo session, another car pulled over. It was a local security guard who got suspicious of us. :) Once Alex explained what was going on, he drove away.
The Milky Way played a significant role in the life, culture and the religion of the Incas. Especially, the Incas' mythologies are woven around the dark nebulae seen in the Milky Way. The picture below is from Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun) in Cusco, Peru. It depicts the Milky Way and the dark clouds venerated by the Incas.
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| Picture of Milky Way at Qorikancha, Cusco. |
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| Using the Qorikancha picture as the reference, you can see the Shepherd, the Fox, the Llama, the baby Llama and the Partridge. The eyes of the Llama are the famous stars Alpha and Beta Centauri. Very close to Alpha Centauri is the star Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, just 4.24 light years away! |
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| June 17, 2014. 8:36 PM (local time) Took 9 overlapping frames of Milky Way and stitched them together using software. |
This is my first attempt in taking and putting together a Milky Way Panorama. I am delighted that it turned out to be good. While Kuoda Travel did an outstanding job with this trip from planning to execution, this photo shoot would not have been possible without Mery's kindness and help from Alex and Marcos :)
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