This is the Milky Way Photographed in a Crystal Ball
Photographer and astronomer Juan Carlos Munoz was browsing a flea market in Santiago, Chile, a few days ago when he stumbled across some crystal balls. He bought one for a few dollars and then decided to use it for astrophotography. This “cosmic marble” photo of the Milky Way in a crystal ball is what resulted.
Munoz was shooting with a Canon 6D, and he chose to use a Rokinon 24mm lens (at f/4, 30s, and ISO 6400) to capture a wide view of the blurry Milky Way as a backdrop for the crystal ball.
“I had to decide which aperture to use, and after a few attempts I chose f/4,” Munoz says. “Smaller f-numbers yielded a too shallow depth of field: the edge of the ball was too blurry, and the bokeh of the background stars was too large, making it hard to discern the Milky Way. Larger f-numbers allowed very little light through, and also made the bokeh in the background smaller than I wanted.”
Munoz is pleased with his result and now recommends that anyone interested in astrophotography buy a crystal ball. He says he has “a few crazy ideas in mind” for some future photos featuring his ball.
Image credit: Photograph by Juan Carlos Munoz and used with permission
