Description
**Fighting Dragons of Ara Nebula**
By **Mustafa Aydin**
Fire-breathing dragons fighting in the night sky.
The stuff of childhood dreams? Yes. But also much more.
Legends of dragons have filled many cultures with terror since the beginning of mankind. And, if you think the word, “Ara,” sounds like it is straight from mythology, you are right. Ara has its roots in ancient Greek mythology.
Meaning “altar” in Latin, Ara is a small constellation. It is located in the southern sky. In Greek mythology, Ara was the altar of King Lycaon of Arcadia. This constellation also represents the altar used by Zeus. It was used by other Greek gods as well. Before going to battle against Cronus and the Titans, they would swear a vow of allegiance before the altar, the Ara.
Fighting Dragons of Ara Nebula is an emission nebula located about 4,000 light-years away in the constellation of Ara. The dark lanes in the nebula resemble two dragons engaged in a fight.
The nebula is a star-forming region and it is sculpted by the young energetic stars recently born in the region. These young stars with their intense ultraviolet radiation are able to ionize the atoms and make them glow and shape beautifully.
Just like two dragons in the night sky.
The stuff of legends.
And dreams.
Image Credits: Mustafa Aydın / Telescope Live
**EQUIPMENT & EXIF**
Takahashi FSQ-106ED
Aperture: 106 mm
Focal Length: 382 mm
f-ratio: 3.6
Mount: Paramount MX+
Minimum elevation: 32 degrees
Camera: FLI ML 16083
Filters (50mm square): Astrodon Ha (3nm), SII (3nm), OIII (3nm)
Observatory name: Heaven's Mirror Observatory
Location: Yass, NSW 2582, Australia
Total 19 hours of exposure
Ha 36 x 600 sec
SII 40 x 600 sec
OIII 39 x 600 sec
**THE ARTIST**
Mustafa Aydın is an astrophotographer with 8+ years of astrophotography and almost lifelong experience in general photography. He was born and raised in a photographer family that has the 3rd generation of photographers, at the moment, perhaps more to come.
His childhood was centered in the triangle of photography, space, and aviation. As such, he studied Physics Engineering for the love of science, cosmos, and technology.
He is concentrated mainly on Deep Space Astrophotography and Widefield Astrophotography, aka Milkyway Astrophotography. Shooting astrophotography takes patience, multi-disciplinary knowledge, and long hours of work. Lots of images of the same object are taken and these shots are stacked and post-processed, in special software.
He primarily uses his own equipment, a Meade Instruments 70mm Refractor Telescope, Orion Atlas Pro Mount (Tracker), Nikon D5300 Camera, and lots of cables, software, and accessories. He also has access to the Telescope Live remote telescopes located in Chile, Spain, and Australia.
He is a co-founder and member of Ankara Astronomy Group and co-founder and co-owner of Stellar Xperiences. He is a brand ambassador for Meade Instruments. He is a judge for monthly astrophotography competitions organized by Telescope Live.
He has had numerous photos published in the national science magazine. Several photos of his photos have been selected as astrophotography of the day, week, or month from international platforms. One photo was shortlisted in the most prestigious astrophotography contest called "Astronomy Photographer of the Year - Royal Museums Greenwich" in 2020 in the aurora category.
Several of his photos are being exhibited in Gokmen Space and Aviation Training Center in Bursa Turkey. And, in 2020 Aydin was able to photograph the Comet Neowise, with rare bicolor (red and blue) ion tails.
**LICENSE**
Extended Editorial: Can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The license includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.
This image will only be minted once as a limited-edition artwork on the Ethereum blockchain and no other editions of this image will be made on this blockchain or any others. Except for the 1/1 Booklet that will be gifted to one of the collectors of the bundle.
