An Enormous Mosaic of the Milky Way (4)

Twelve years and 1,250 hours of exposure time spend Finnish photographer J-P Metsavainio to create this detailed project of the Milky Way.

J-P Metsavainio started this amazing project back in 2009.

Above: The 125-degree stretch from Taurus to Cygnus.  Credit J-P Metsavainio

Top image: The full composite image in mapped colors from the light emitted by ionized elements. Hydrogen = green, sulfur = red, and oxygen = blue.  Credit J-P Metsavainio

An Enormous Mosaic of the Milky Way (3)California Nebulam NGC 1499.  Credit J-P Metsavainio

The photographer said:

“As a visual artist, the composition of the image means a lot. During the years, I have shot hundreds of individual targets from the Milky Way. Each image taken is an independent artwork. At the same time, I always kept in my mind the needs of the final large composition.”

An Enormous Mosaic of the Milky Way (2)Detail of Wolf Rayet Shell around the star WR 134.  Credit J-P Metsavainio

source J-P Metsavainio