The Summer Triangle (夏の大三角)

Last weekend, I went camping in the Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). The camping site is a renovation from a shut-down school, which is just one mile from the border of South/North Korea. Of course, the place is in the area where a civilian cannot enter, but the Korean government and army established a camping site there, and we can use it with prior approval and a process at the military checkpoint.

The facility at the site is excellent, and the recent mood of reconciliation between South/North Korea makes me comfortable there. But the most exciting thing to me was a different one. That day, there was no moon, and the site should be one of the darkest areas in Korea. That means that it is the perfect point of astronomical observation.

And the feature image is my best shot - the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is famous for many anime fans from the ending theme of Bakemonogatari (化物語 / Monster Story) - “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” (君の知らない物語 / The story you don’t know. The three stars - Denev (left in the picture), Altair (right), and Vega (top) - from the start of the TV version of the song form a shape of a triangle in the sky, and this is the Summer Triangle.

The photo is taken by Sony α7R III / Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/15mm. The lens is a manual lens, but it was the correct answer because the full-open aperture and the infinite distance is perfect for astronomical photography. Sony α7R was notorious as a Star-Eraser with its too sensitive noise reduction logic, but I think the new α7R III presented a reasonable result.

I always curious about the Summer Triangle after I listened to the song. It is too hard to watch stars in the urban area in these days. But when I see the sky this time, I could say that “That is the Summer Triangle!” It deeply moved me, and it - to be in falling starlight - must be one of my happiest hours.