Tag: Astronomy

Astrophotography Basics: Picking A Suitable Site

While doing astrophotography from your backyard can result in lovely pictures, I think doing it out in the wilds is a whole different beast.

In this post, I want to spend some time discussing how to pick out an appropriate site. It may be more accurate say that this post is how I end up picking an appropriate site to do astrophotography.

You absolutely can do astrophotography from your backyard. However, I think most of us will be dealing with a significant amount of light pollution if we limit it solely to our backyards. A lot of us, due to necessity, will live in metropolitan areas or suburban areas with significant light pollution. This isn’t to say it is impossible to photograph from your backyard or balcony in an urban area, but it is more difficult to capture celestial objects from the city skies.

Picture taken in a suburban neighborhood on the East Coast.

Given that, I generally head out to the countryside/more rural parts given there is less light pollution there. That raises the question of how do you pick out an appropriate site?

  1. Research dark sky parks/international dark sites/locations situated away from major metropolitan areas.

You really don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. There is already a plethora of information on the internet already regarding suitable dark sky parks/dark sky sites/designated dark sites.

A friend from work gifted me her AAA magazine which had a feature on best places to do stargazing!

Given the booming interest in astrophotography–how it unites people and also leads to people traveling to get to the best locations—you will actually find websites listing exceptional places to do your stargazing.

Darksky.org has a listing of places all over the United States and elsewhere where people can do astrophotography and stargazing.

Essentially, some folks have done a lot of the easy work for you already and it is a matter of finding the right dark sky site that is not too far from you or one you can make a part of your next trip.

2. If possible, try to visit your proposed astrophotography spot during the daytime.

Trust me on this.

It is frustrating to head to an astrophotography spot and not be sure you are in the right spot because it’s dark and you’re unfamiliar with the area. Not only does this possibly lead to wasted time, but it can also be unsafe as well.

If possible, try to visit the spot you want to do astrophotography at during the daytime. During the daytime, you can get a lay of the terrain and get a sense of what would make an interesting foreground for a photo.

You can also use certain apps to see what the night sky will look like later in the evening (more on this in a future post!).

Safety is also related to this as well. The last thing you want is to be heading to a spot in the dark for the first time and you twist your ankle because you were not aware that the area had a ton of loose rocks. Those are the types of dangers/obstacles that you can avoid or head-off by visiting a proposed site during the day.

Normally, I like to do day hikes for potential astrophotography locations. If I think it is suitable, I will come back prepared in the evening with my gear feeling more confident that I have a general idea of how the area looks.

3. Know the rules and regulations of the astrophotography sites that you are visiting.

With hiking, you are responsible for knowing the rules, regulations, and customs when you head out into the outdoors. It is the same with astrophotography.

National parks, national preserves, national grasslands, and their state counterparts will generally have their rules and regulations posted within the park and also on their respective websites.

Common things to look out for:

I. Will I need to pay for a park pass or pay some type of fee? Will I need to pay a separate fee to park my vehicle?

II. What are the hours of operation for the place I am visiting? Being inside of a park outside of designated hours can lead to you being fined, cited, or ending up with a criminal case.

III. Are there seasonal closures I have to be aware of? Some picturesque places may have roads that shut down for portions of the year due to the weather, so be sure to check ahead.

IV. Be wary of trespassing into private property! Some national park lands and some state park lands can be and are situated right not to private land. The owners may be very strict about who they allow on their property.

V. Are reservations required for the spot I am trying to visits? Withe the COVID-19 pandemic, many outdoor areas ares instituting timed-entry/reservations in order for people to visit an area.

4. Google Street View can be your friend!

I started using this feature of Google Maps to try to get a sense of how a location might look if I visited it. Understanding that it is only as reliable as the people posting the information (I am pretty sure I saw Darth Vader posted on the summit of a mountain!), I have found it to be somewhat useful in giving me a sense of what to expect with particular site and whether the drive out there might be worth. It doesn’t replace going in person, but it can be helpful in that regard.

Happy Star Hunting!

Useful Astrophotography Accessories AKA You Should Probably Take this With You When You Do Astrophotography: Light Sources

I can say that I have done astrophotography for about 2 years now. In that time, there has been a great amount of trial-and-error. I came into this hobby knowing nothing. While I have gained some knowledge, I can readily admit that there is still a lot I do not know about.

So many things can go wrong or can cut an astrophotography session short. Sometimes, a night out results in great pictures. However, sometimes things just don’t work out and in those instances, I have gone home empty-handed.

It is through these experiences that I learned a couple things to try to make the most out of my astrophotography sessions and increase the likelihood that I leave with pictures I treasure.

Astrophotography Accessory: Light Source

As much as I love astrophotography, I am one of those people who is very much afraid of the dark. It might sound ridiculous, but it is true.

When I see a horror film, I am one of those individuals whose imagination starts to play tricks on them. I start to see scary figures in the dark and things that aren’t there lol.

When you do astrophotography, you are generally going to want to drive to places out in the country to avoid light pollution in order to get best pictures possible (i.e. capture as many celestial objects in your photos as possible).

That means going to rural places that are very dark at night.

Oftentimes, I find myself to be the only person at these locations where I go and take pictures. Sometimes, I will see fellow astrophotographers—but that has been more of an uncommon thing in my experience. However, when I do see one out, I always try to be friendly and say hello!

Nevertheless, given how dark it is, you are going to want to have a light source with you when do your astrophotography.

It might sound a little contradictory—you have driven away from civilization to get away from light pollution and now I am telling you to bring a light source with you. That is exactly what I am saying here.

Some people do different things regarding light sources: they might bring a key chain, a flash light, or a headlamp with them. I have seen people even use their cellphones as a light source! I don’t recommend that though….

I tend to go with headlamps. I like wearing them on my forehead and it allows my hands to be free so I can focus on my camera settings.

I think astrophotography pictures can be a little deceiving. Many people will take photos and have a lit up foreground–but that is not what it looks like when you are actually out there taking the picture. Those pictures with the lit up foreground are generally the result of some creative photoshopping, i.e. taking a picture of the foreground when it is lit up and blending it with a picture of the night sky or the photographer lighting up the foreground with a light source while the exposure is happening.

While that makes for a dramatic and eye-catching picture, it is not indicative of what you actually encounter outside.

This is what you are more likely to encounter while outside.

In actuality, it is pitch black when you do astrophotography (you generally want to do it when there is little moonlight, no moon, or a new moon). It’s the kind of darkness where when you hear something crunching leaves or twigs in the dark, you are wondering what the heck that thing is.

Frankly, you can’t see much and you need to see where you are going and that is where the headlamp comes in.

When I started astrophotography, I got a headlamp that had four different settings (3 with increasing lumens and one setting that simply flashed the light of the headlamp). The brand of the headlamp was Petzl. I purchased it at REI for about $20.

It is a pretty great headlamp and I take it with me whether I do hiking or astrophotography.

However, after purchasing my Petzl headlamp, I also realized that when using it, it does mess with your eyes—the bright light disrupts your ability to make out the faint stars when you are doing astrophotography.

I later learned that it is much better to get a light source with a red lamp. I ended up purchasing a red headlamp as that would be less harsh on my eyes, yet still allow me to see my surroundings and my camera as well.

I ended up purchasing two Black Diamond headlamps that not only showed white light, but red light as well. As such, depending on what I was doing, I could change the color of the light, i.e. when I was working with my camera, I’d use the red light to minimize the effect on my eyes. When I was packing up my stuff to leave or heading back to the trailhead, I’d use the white light to see my surroundings. I purchased these headlamps at REI as well.

A red lamp allows you to see while minimizing the effects of harsh white light.

If you are not into purchasing additional equipment, I have heard of folks making some DIY solutions for this. If you already have a flashlight or headlamp, I have heard of folks using red cellophane material to cover the light source as a cheaper alternative.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have a light source. It’s practical, safe, and will save you loads of frustration when you are in the middle of nowhere taking your pictures.

Happy Star Hunting!

Disclaimer: While I have mentioned specific brands that I use in doing astrophotography, I have not been paid anything to promote these products. These are simply items that I have used and liked while doing astrophotography.

A Visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve

Over the holiday period, I decided to travel to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. You see, this particular national park is on my bucket list, specifically, it has always been a bucket list goal of mine to take a picture of the Milky Way with the dunes in the foreground.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located about 3.5 hours southwest of Denver in rural Alamosa County, Colorado. The park itself is about a 40-minute drive away from the city of Alamosa–making it a great day trip or night trip, or maybe a bit of both.

I stayed there over the July 4th weekend with the hope that I’d be able that desired shot of the Milky Way glowing over the dunes.

Alas, I have to be honest and say that that unfortunately I wasn’t able to get that desired shot (astrophotography teaches you to roll with the punches). However, I still think I got a pretty nice shot all the same within the confines of the park.

P1: The Milky Way as seen from inside Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Sometimes, you have to work with what you have.

While I went there with the hope of braving the dunes at night to get my desired shot, I don’t think I made it 10 feet from my car before the mosquitos were trying to bite me up. I don’t know how, but somehow, I forgot about the mosquitos in June and July and how truly annoying they could be.

Given the bugs, I decided to find a different location to try to see if I could get my shot.

While driving around at night, I parked my vehicle and just decided to use the road into the park as my foreground as I figured it would be a pretty striking visual.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Initially it was stormy, but the weather forecast rang true and it cleared up at about 3am. I waited a bit for the Milky Way to be centered with the road and took the above shot. It’s not a stacked shot, but a single exposure, but I am still proud of it all the same.

I think anyone interested in astrophotography should definitely put this park on their travel list. I have looked all over trying to figure out where these skies fall on the Bortle scale (a scale measuring the brightness of a sky–10 being the worst (lots of light pollution) while 1 is the best (being little to no light pollution), and while I have not seen anything definitive, I have read on some sources online that the park is classified in the Bortle 2 area.

Picture Stats:

P1

Date Taken: July 4, 2021

Canon 5D Mark IV
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
ISO 3200
Exp. 30s 
White Balance 3200

Alone With My Thoughts…The Appeal of Astrophotography.

While many people appreciate the products of astrophotography, i.e. beautiful photos of the celestial heavens, far fewer people are really interested in the process that leads to said photos.

Honestly, that’s okay.

To be fair, driving to the middle of nowhere so that you can be in the middle of nowhere to take pictures of the night sky with the hope that the weather will cooperate probably won’t sound super appealing to a lot of people.

I’ve asked people if they wanted to tag along with me on my excursions, but generally people have plans or tell me they really prefer sleeping as opposed to trouncing around in the wilderness in the dark. That’s fine–I am not offended.

However, I have found the whole astrophotography process to be pretty meditative.

When I am driving to a spot, I put on music I like to break the silence of the drive there. It gets me in the mood to to speak. Usually, I will pick something ambient for the drive.

When I get the spot, I set up my equipment and once that is done, I’m waiting for it to get dark. Normally, most people are leaving the area by this point or I am by myself. Rarely will other people stick around, but I have run into other astrophotographers out in the wilds of Colorado.

I may get the occasional question from a hiker or family leaving wondering why I am just arriving and I explain what I plan to do.

As it gets dark, that is when celestial objects start to appear–first a couple stars, then more and more. Planets shine brightly and appear as super vibrant stars. Soon, the Milky Way becomes visible.

Stars peeking out after the sun sets. Taken in Park County, Colorado.

Every time I see the Milky Way, I really am in awe of it.

Honestly, I like sitting on something–maybe the ground or a camping chair I brought with me or maybe I am sitting with the door open in my car or on a sturdy structure that happens to be in the area.

I am just looking into infinity. That is what it feels like to me.

I feel like I am witnessing something sacred and ancient. I am seeing something that existed long before I ever set foot on this Earth and will continue long after I pass away. I feel so small, but also intimately connected to everyone and everything. Carl Sagan once said we are made of star stuff–I think that is a great way of explaining how we are all interlinked in this thing called existence.

The things that worried me or bothered me me earlier–well, I start to revaluate. Maybe that thing I was obsessing over in my mind wasn’t that big of a deal and I need to let it go. Or maybe that thing that is kind of a big deal–well, let me revaluate the things that are in my control versus the things that are not in my control because I can only do so much.

I honestly couldn’t tell you the how of how I go through this process, I can only tell you that it happens.

Seeing the stars puts me as ease. Can’t really explain the why. Milky Way rising above the horizon near Guanella pass.

Being in the wilderness is my sanctuary of sorts. Seeing the celestial bodies in the sky is my sermon of sorts.

My Relationship With Cameras

I used to see photographs of the night sky, celestial bodies, or even galaxies and wonder at how people were even able to take those kinds of photographs.

I remember showing a college friend a picture of the Milky Way rising over the horizon and she thought it was fake and photoshopped. In hindsight, I guess I don’t blame her. When you grow up in light-polluted areas like the two of us did on the East Coast, from our perspectives, the actual night sky actually looks really fake.

Absolutely stunning, but also absolutely foreign to someone who is exposed to roughly twenty years’ worth of light pollution. A nighttime shot taken at Rocky Mountain National Park in the summertime. Photo taken with Canon 5D Mark IV.

Anyway, I still enjoyed learning about space, looking at astronomy pictures, and also watching sci-fi movies focused on space.

Did I ever pursue a career related to astronomy later in life? No. I guess you could say that I went in the opposite direction career-wise. However, that is a post for another day.

In high school, my mom bought me a Canon Powershot S3 IS. It was a simple, albeit satisfactory point-and-shoot camera. I later learned it got this moniker because in spite of the variety of camera settings, you could spin the dial to a camera setting, point the camera, press the shutter release button, and get a decent shot.

That camera was fine for a teenage girl who wanted to take pictures of squirrels at the park or take pictures of friends drinking boba tea or take pictures of relatives at family events. However, it was absolutely terrible for night sky photography as I learned when my few attempts at Milky Way photography resulted in weird, streaky lights in a background of black. Disappointed, I left astrophotography alone.

In college, I was still really interested in astronomy, but it mostly focused on looking at photography books or looking at pictures on Image hosting websites (Do you remember Fotki?!?). I even signed up for an introductory level astronomy course, but withdrew from the class when I felt as if the professor was speaking an entirely different language.

Taken with my Canon Powershot S3 IS . Overlooking a cliff with fall foliage on display during a college hike in western Virginia.

When I graduated from college, not only did my mom present me with a bouquet of flowers, she also gave me a really nice camera as she knew I loved taking pictures of anything and everything. I was gifted with a Canon Rebel XS aka Canon 1000D.

It was my first “serious” camera. I retired my Powershot and used the 1000D to photograph everything. I actually started googling how to do astrophotography online. In my 15 minutes of research, my takeaways were that I needed a tripod and I needed to go somewhere dark.

Purchase tripod? Check.

Find a dark area? Backyard of mom’s house should work. Cool beans.

As you can guess, it was a failure again. While I had not put in a lot of research into the proper setup for astrophotography, astrophotography seemed too technical for me to grasp.

While I loved looking at astrophotography, I had more-or-less resigned myself to someone who would see astrophotography, but never do astrophotography.

While I took my 1000D with me when I criss-crossed the country for school and work, it wasn’t until after I graduated from graduate school, left a fellowship, and started working that I began looking at the “how to” behind astrophotography.

My 1000D was able to get some great details. A curious neighborhood cat looks through a fence. Photo taken near my former workplace with my Canon 1000D.

Why?

I was living by myself with no family within a 1000 mile radius in the middle of the pandemic.

I think now would be a good stopping point, since I was definitely in my feelings in the middle of the pandemic when I actually took up astrophotography in earnest. I will save that for another post.

How it all started…?

I just happened to come across a photo of the night sky taken somewhere in the desert.

It might have been right as I was nearing the end of high school or maybe right before I started college.

I had a habit of going through deviant art profiles because I loved the heavily photoshopped images showing planets placed into some random starry background.

I also had a habit of going through NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day.

On NASA’s website, I came across this photograph of the Milky Way arching across the horizon of some desert at night. I was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw. It didn’t seem real, but there it was.

Credit: Dan Duriscoe and National Park Service

It was beautiful, mesmerizing, eye-catching. That picture was all of those things.

The picture was taken on a clear night in Death Valley National Park.

It was beauty somehow captured into a photograph.

It sounds really dramatic, but I really was in awe at what I was seeing.

I knew that I wanted to try to do the same. I later learned that this particular field of photography was called astrophotography, literally taking photos of the night sky and celestial objects.

I started googling it and learning as much as I could about astrophotography…given the limitations of my dial-up internet and really janky computer.

And that is how my interest in astrophotography started….