The Milky Way, first attempt

[Dennis Gallus]

After reading an article suggesting a very simple approach to the subject,
http://photographylife.com/how-to-photo ... -milky-way



The data for the shot is:
24mm/2 Nikkor at f/2.8
20 seconds exposure
D700 on tripod, ISO3200
RAW

The article suggested shooting wide open. My 30+ year old Nikkor wasn't up to that, the off-axis image had what looked like coma. It is better at f/2.8. Next time, I will try the 35mm/2. The article recommends a max exposure of 500/(focal length), in seconds, so I'll start out with 15 seconds and boost the ISO as necessary. Fortunately, we get lots of clear skies here in southern Arizona, all I need to do is wait for the dark of the moon.

I'll try again. The lighting on the horizon is from a copper mine in Mexico about 27 mi away.

[jamesmck]

That is a very neat shot, Dennis. I am also impressed by the "flat earth" you have there in AZ, being able to see that glow from 27miles distant! You have so many enviable, and unusual, photo ops right outside your door. Thanks for showing this.
-- James

[Philip]

Well done! That is a gorgeous shot.

[PFMcFarland]

It's always an experiment until you figure out what your particular rig is capable of, Dennis. Good first try.

PF

[Dennis Gallus]

Last night, June 1, was very clear so I did more experimenting with photographing the Milky Way. This time, I used a 35mm/2 Nikkor AI lens, ISO 6400, and I exposed for 15 sec at f/2.8. I like results much better than what I got with the 24mm/2 AI lens. There is some noise, but the extra exposure brought out the clouds of stars within the Milky Way.




I'm fortunate there are no mosquitos in southern Arizona. But I did get buzzed by an owl while taking these photos.

[jamesmck]

the extra exposure brought out the clouds of stars within the Milky Way.

Yeah, sure does. Very nice, especially number one. Just curious, are you timing your exposures manually?
-- James

[PFMcFarland]

Much better, Dennis. Last time I did any astrophotography was back in Ohio about 18 years ago when one of the comets was buzzing around. Problem with comets is they move so much more than the background stars, so I wasn't pleased with the results.

PF

[Dennis Gallus]

James, I'm using the D700's marked speeds, which go down in small steps. I'm tempted to put the 55mm/1.2 lens on the camera and shoot for those "clouds" of stars that appear in the Milky Way. Using the empirical formula for max exposure without star trails, 500/(focal length in mm), I'd have to shoot a 10 sec exposure. But I should be able to do that at ISO 6400 and somewhere f/2 to f/2.8, and still get good images.

The two prominent stars near the center of the second of last night's images are the cat's eyes, low in the constellation Scorpio. The right star is at the 2 o'clock position relative to the left one. You can also see the cat's eyes in the first exposure too, above and left of center. What really surprised me in looking at my photos is that you can see stars all the way down to the horizon. That says a lot about how clear and dry the air is out here.

Phil, if I motivated myself to get out every night I could really get into the astrophotography thing. I have a scope and a clock drive, so perhaps one night I'll really get into it. Setting up the clock drive on the tripod seems to take forever.

Thanks for the questions and comments!
Best,
Dennis

[GrahamS]

Dennis, I salute you sir! You are indeed embracing astro photography very successfully and you are fortunate to have such suitable atmospheric conditions. Wonderful!

[LarryD]

The last time I could do that I was in Arizona. but even the light pollution got bad at the Lake I used to go too. Nice job.