Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
The Veils of The Seven Sisters - Pleiades over Half Dome

I had been planning this shot for over a year and finally got to shoot it in late October, 2021.I realized that Pleiades would rise up the side of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley and would make an interesting image when the star cluster was just off the "nose" of Half Dome. Pleiades (The Seven Sisters) and neighboring reflection nebulas are the exact relative size and location to Half Dome, taken with the same camera and lens without moving them. Details in Pleiades and her "veils" were brought out thru tracking and stacking. This is exactly as it would have looked to our eyes at that moment if we had the light-gathering capabilities of modern cameras.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Yosemite Valley - Curry Village, California, United States of America
Copyright: © Rick Whitacre