Ursa Minor & Draco above Campolungo Trees

A northern nightscape bringing together the bowl and inner handle of Ursa Minor with the long curve of Draco. Kochab (β UMi), Pherkad (γ UMi), Yildun (δ UMi), and the stars ε, ζ and η Ursae Minoris define the visible section of the Little Dipper at right, while Thuban (α Dra), Athebyne (η Dra), Aldhibah (ζ Dra), and the stars κ, θ and χ Draconis trace Draco around the illuminated tree canopy.

Observation

Date: 15 Aug 2026
Time: 01:36 CEST
Site: Campolungo, Amandola, Marche, Italy
Bortle: Class 4
Bortle Class 4
Rural/Suburban Transition
Azimuth: +341° 00' 00.0"
Altitude: +38° 48' 00.0"

Atmospherics

Visibility: Excellent
Weather: Clear sky, dry mountain air, light breeze
Moon: 6% Waxing Crescent - Below horizon

Acquisition

Camera: Panasonic Lumix G7
Lens: Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.7
Mount: Static Tripod (Untracked)
Integration: 1 x 8s

Optics

Focal Length: 25mm
Aperture: f/1.7
ISO: ISO 1600

Post-Processing

Software: darktable
Pre-Processing: Single RAW development, embedded lens correction, LMMSE demosaicing, hot-pixel removal.
Post-Processing: AgX scene-referred tone mapping, profiled wavelet denoise, restrained Color Balance RGB tuning, Local Contrast enhancement, masked foreground exposure and warm shadow grading for the trees.