Star-studded night sky over the Ingolstädterhaus

After a sunny and mild November day in the Steinernes Meer, I lay on the veranda in front of the Ingolstädterhaus and looked up at the star-studded night sky with the Milky Way and occasional shooting stars. Professional photographers would call it good timing; for me, it’s simply luck to be in the right place at the right time – this time during a new moon on a cloudless night with high pressure and clear air at a mountain hut at 2,119 m altitude – such unique experiences are gifts and make up the essence of travel.

Of course, I prefer such constellations in my travel planning, but usually, one is too tied up with work and family. This year, I was exceptionally lucky with weather and celestial phenomena, as I had already experienced a dreamily beautiful full moon twice – in July at the Totalphütte and the lunar eclipse in October at the Fiderepasshütte.

The night before at the Kärlingerhaus by Lake Funtensee also showed an impressive night sky, but at the Ingolstädterhaus, the horizon is less constricted by towering mountains and therefore offers a wider panorama with a clearly defined Milky Way. When taking shots with my older Nikkor 20 mm D lens, I miss the shorter focal length with a larger angle of view and improved sharpness and resolution – I’m already saving up for a new lens – a 20 mm prime or maybe the 14–24 mm wide-angle zoom “monster” from Nikon? These are my first finger exercises with star photography and the subsequent development process, so I’m looking forward to the experience and hopefully many more opportunities for astrophotography.