Milky Way question

[RobHD]

I know this isn't US based , but this was taken at the darkest spot I've got and it's still a good hours drive, it's top of a hill , surrounded but light domes, military base and low level clouds in this shot , it's just that you can capture this marvel even in poor conditions at the right location

was my 1st go at Milky Way so I know it's out of focus if you really zoom in

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

It's a whole lot closer than Zion or Great Basin National Parks, but it's not nearly as dark either. But the water's much closer. I had an hour's worth of driving after I left, and believe me I wouldn't have wanted more than that. In fact, if the hotel weren't charging in-season rates, and they'd actually had some vacancies, I'd have gotten hotel room for the night.

I just need to find a way to legally get into the national park after dark, as it had much less artificial light than where we ended up.

WM

Have to keep an eye on times when the milky way rises and sets. Was heat rise a problem? I am thinking september or october might be a good time to come down. If you think about it keep me informed.

It is really funny, my wife and I were just talking about this before I logged in to check the board.

 

[salukfan111]

Well, I can now add getting kicked out of a National Park to my list of life achievements!! Our local photo club had a caravan out to the Gulf Islands National Seashore last night, and immediately after we arrived in the parking lot, were met by a Park Ranger who wanted to know what we were doing. It sort of threw him off guard that we were a bunch of old fogies with camera gear, and he admitted that he expected us to be a bunch of partiers instead. Although our intentions were benign, we did have to leave since the park was "Closed for the evening." Apparently, the case due to miscreants vandalizing the property after hours lately.

Anyway, we packed up our gear as needed and proceeded to an area just outside the National Seashore and spent about three hours shooting the Milky Way in-between clouds drifting by and with much more ambient light in the background. Since it was my first attempt at MW photography, I had a lot of culls, and little to satisfy me from last night. It was, however, enough to get me to keep coming back for more.

View attachment 215204


View attachment 215205

And we didn't see Sasquatch on the beach!!

WM

Appalachia or Conuca National Forests are very close to Niceville and very very dark. It looks like Niceville is an astrophographers wet dream. I would sure love to be that close to good areas.

 

[Whiskeyman]

Have to keep an eye on times when the milky way rises and sets. Was heat rise a problem? I am thinking september or october might be a good time to come down. If you think about it keep me informed.

It is really funny, my wife and I were just talking about this before I logged in to check the board.

Don, Heat distortion did not seem to be an issue, but there were a lot of clouds obscuring the MW at first. We were shooting over the Gulf of Mexico, and I assume that the water mitigates the heat distortion issue. September and October can be great times down here, save for that's prime hurricane season. I'm not sure about the Milky Way's position then either, but we can research it. The best part of the September-October time frame is that this is the post-summer slow season, and also before most of the snowbirds arrive, so it is relatively quiet, and can be a really great time to visit.

WM

 

[Whiskeyman]

Appalachia or Conuca National Forests are very close to Niceville and very very dark. It looks like Niceville is an astrophographers wet dream. I would sure love to be that close to good areas.

Appalachicola? It is a bit further than Conuca, but yes, both places are darker than our immediate area. Even though it isn't reflected on the maps, I know of a very dark area about 30-45 minutes from my house, but it is on private land, and the owners are very restrictive of access. I've been about 15 times in 13 years, and each time, it was because the owner asked someone I know to help them on the property, and I went along to help them. It's one of those places that you don't ask to go to, but you might get invited to if you're fortunate; I think that it's been about 2 years since I've been up there.

WM

 

[salukfan111]

Appalachicola? It is a bit further than Conuca, but yes, both places are darker than our immediate area. Even though it isn't reflected on the maps, I know of a very dark area about 30-45 minutes from my house, but it is on private land, and the owners are very restrictive of access. I've been about 15 times in 13 years, and each time, it was because the owner asked someone I know to help them on the property, and I went along to help them. It's one of those places that you don't ask to go to, but you might get invited to if you're fortunate; I think that it's been about 2 years since I've been up there.

WM

You are really blessed with access to dark skies. Many of us need to drive 2+ hours to get that kind of a environment.

 

[Danno_RIP]

Those are really nice shots WM. To bad they tossed you out. It seems like you could get a permit to be there after dark if you spoke to the rangers in advance. It might be worth a phone call. That way the night guy would know you were coming instead of just a bunch of hoodlums out causing trouble

 

[Whiskeyman]

Those are really nice shots WM. To bad they tossed you out. It seems like you could get a permit to be there after dark if you spoke to the rangers in advance. It might be worth a phone call. That way the night guy would know you were coming instead of just a bunch of hoodlums out causing trouble

Danno, that sounds like a good idea. We'll try that the next time.

And by the way, have we heard from the OP since I hijacked his thread?

WM

 

[Danno_RIP]

I do not think so.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Danno_RIP]

[MENTION=41207]C. Hand[/MENTION] did you get your question answered?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Spottydumplings]

Can anyone answer what at first (or second) appear to be a dumb question??

In areas where there is a certain amount of light pollution would a graduated ND filter used inverted i.e. darkest at the bottom have any beneficial effect?

 

[wornish]

Can anyone answer what at first (or second) appear to be a dumb question??

In areas where there is a certain amount of light pollution would a graduated ND filter used inverted i.e. darkest at the bottom have any beneficial effect?

I would not use a basic graduated filter to cut down the light collected, you need to capture as much as possible. Every photon counts when it comes to astrophotography.

However there are specialised filters that certainly help.
Here is a link for more info:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/23551-light-pollution-filter-recommendations/

 

[C. Hand]

I did get my question answered , my next opportunity will come July 4th weekend!! I plan on using the 500 rule and this time I have been practicing manually focusing to infinity in low light. I am using the photopill app. But I could not see the center with the naked eye even though it was 27 degrees above the horizon.

 

[leader2photography]

Never seen the PhotoPill app until you mentioned it. Looks a little easier to use then some of the ones I have tried in the past. Thanks for the mention!