Dagub cave

Image Description and Details : Dagub Cave

While Socotra is better known for its endemic species of trees and wildlife, there are many limestone caves which dot the island. The largest of these is the Al-Hoq Cave but it is the Dagub cave which offers the more interesting nightscape thanks to its view to the south.
Stalactites, formed over centuries of water dripping from the cliffs, come together at the mouth of the cave to form an interesting foreground against which to frame the night sky. Socotra is very sparsely populated and as a result the skies are very clear whenever the clouds part ways. Being close to the equator, allows one to frame objects otherwise seen only in the Southern Hemisphere. See in the sky here from left to right is the Coalsack Nebula, the Southern Cross, the Running Chicken Nebula, Eta Carina and Gum 15…..

Camera = Sony A7rv
Lens = Sony 12-24 F2.8GM at 15mm
Tracker = Benro Polaris
Sky Exposure = 240secs, F2.8, iso 800, stack of 12, tracked
Ground Exposure = 480secs, F2.8, iso 800, LENR, LLL
Software = Lightroom, Photoshop.

Copyright: vikas chander