
The Church of the Good Shepherd, situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the mountains. The Lake Tekapo area is recognized as one of the darkest sky areas in the entire world, ideal for night photography
Before we departed on our trip to Australia and New Zealand I had done extensive planning for this photo. Using Photo Pills I determined that it should be possible to find a location near the church that would allow me to have the Southern Cross, which is part of the southern Milky Way, directly above the church.
Visible directly above the church is the Southern Cross. The two cloud-like patches of light in upper right are the neighboring galaxies known as the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud and are only visible in the Southern Hemisphere skies. They are about 170,000 light years away and the Large Magellanic Cloud contains about 10,000 million stars. These are the closest galaxies to our own and are a stunning sight whether viewed with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. They are considered to be satellite galaxies linked by gravity to the Milky Way.
Date & Time | January 11, 2019: 11:30pm |
Location | Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand |
Coordinates | -44.002567, 170.482194 |
Focal Length | 35mm |
Aperture | f/2.8 |
Shutter | 13 sec. |
ISO | 3200 |
Num of Exposures | 30 |
VAST photos are the highest resolution photos ever made.
Learn more
Our ready-to-hang canvas prints are created using a specialty printer that carefully lays pigment inks down onto archival-quality fine art canvas material. The canvas is then stretched around a 1.5-inch-deep wood support structure to provide depth and elegance. Our canvas material has a delightfully matte finish that looks spectacular in any lighting conditions while retaining maximum vibrancy and contrast. Click here to learn more.
A VAST Printâ„¢ represents the pinnacle of the photographic medium. Each print is a true photograph created specifically for you using light-sensitive paper exposed in a darkroom with the industry's highest precision exposure technique. Your print is then sealed with a shine-enhancing protective glossy coating*, adhered to a sturdy aluminum composite backing, and finished in one of two ready-to-hang formats:
*Note: a non-glossy, satin matte coating is alternatively available on request.
Due to their record-setting resolutions, VAST photos are the most versatile images ever created, with the quality necessary to look great at any size and in any project. Purchasing one of our standard royalty-free licenses provides you with the digital file at your choice of resolution and a permit to use it for most types of projects. Click here to learn more.
For a premium license that gives exclusivity, glass-related use in North America, or use in merchandise for sale, contact us.
Total Pixels | 247,010,668 px |
Width | 18,596 px |
Height | 13,283 px |
Aspect Ratio | 1.4 : 1 |
Date & Time | January 11, 2019: 11:30pm |
Location | Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand |
Coordinates | -44.002567, 170.482194 |
Focal Length | 35mm |
Aperture | f/2.8 |
Shutter | 13 sec. |
ISO | 3200 |
Num of Exposures | 30 |
Here are some rough guidelines for this specific photo: