Category: Stars

Milky Way over the Utah Desert

5/1/2018

On our recent road trip to Utah national parks I was able to get out and photograph the Milky Way in a very dark sky in the Mojave Desert in Southern Utah. Only a few wispy clouds, no moon and almost no light pollution. Incredibly bright stars. I've never seen the Milky Way this bright and clear in Iowa because we have too much light pollution, humidity and haze in the air.

One more Milky Way photo, taken at Balanced Rock in Arches National Park, Utah. This was just after the moon set and just before sunrise one night last week. There is a bit of light on the horizon from the city of Moab, but otherwise a very dark and clear sky.

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The Milky Way Returns

4/13/2016

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As our Earth races around the Sun there are a few months, from November to February, when the Milky Way is not visible because it is blocked by the Sun. From March to October the galactic center (the brightest part of the Milky Way) is visible in the Northern Hemisphere and best photographed on a clear night with a new moon. I use an app called Photo Pills to determine what time the galactic center will rise above the horizon and the location - southeast sky in the spring, south in the Summer and southwest in the fall. On this night in April it would be visible from 2:03 AM til 5:07 AM and then the sky would start to get light from the rising Sun. Because there was haze on the horizon I couldn't really see the brightest part until about 3:30 AM and later. These photos with the lonely tree and the windmill were taken between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, ISO 1600, f/3.2, 25 second exposure with a 20mm lens and a sturdy tripod. They are single images. I could get brighter stars by using a higher ISO, but would get more noise (grain) in the sky, or use a technique of image stacking by combining multiple exposures in to one. Something to try next time. (Click the images to see larger.)

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The Milky Way through the Trees

7/20/2015

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The Milky Way. [Click for a larger image.]

It is often difficult to see the Milky Way because of haze in the sky or light pollution from nearby cities or street lights. Getting as far away as possible from lights and/or high in the mountains helps, but still difficult to see the detail. However, with the camera, a high ISO and a long exposure the many more stars of the Milky Way almost magically appear on the image. A little extra processing in Lightroom or Photoshop can help to increase the contrast, adjust the colors and to further enhance the sky and stars to see what is out there but we can't see with the naked eye. This image was right outside the door of our camper while in Wisconsin last weekend after 11:00 pm.
17mm lens, f/2.8, 25 seconds, ISO 2000.

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Find my photos on Facebook

5/13/2014

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I gave in. I finally decided to post some pictures on Facebook also. Go to my Facebook page then click the Like or Follow button and you can stay updated on some of my photo adventures. Of course you will need to log in to Facebook to see them. -
https://www.facebook.com/brucegmckeephotos

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Stars Over Iowa

8/19/2013

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I've been trying a few night sky photos. These were a couple of weeks ago, close to the new moon. 30 second exposures, f/3.5 at ISO 2000. The light on the horizon is "light pollution" from nearby towns. It is pretty tough in Iowa to find any place that doesn't have light on the horizon from towns or farm yard lights. There is also quite a bit of haze in the air in the summer time, making it difficult to see the dimmer or more distant stars. (Click the images to see them larger.)

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Milky Way over the Utah Desert

The Milky Way Returns

The Milky Way through the Trees

Find my photos on Facebook

Stars Over Iowa

Bruce's Blog

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