Milky Way Project 2024

I didn't really identify this as a "project" until about 3 months into the Milky Way season. My first MW attempt of 2024 was during the new moon in March. By the time I got to May, I remember thinking, “I wonder if I can keep doing this every month for the entire season?” As June arrived and the temperatures were routinely climbing into the triple digits, it made sense to be out in the desert at night when things cooled off a bit. It was just too dang hot to hike during the day!

 

So here's my completed project: One photo of the Milky Way a month (except in March when I took two), starting in March 2024 and ending in October 2024. I've shared them all individually, but for some odd reason I feel compelled to compile them here in a single post. It was a very fun project, and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to do it. There's something very magical about being out under the desert sky at night, and I'm amazed I didn't have at least one or two failed attemps (such as cloudy skies or wind storms).

 

Of the nine photos here, my personal favorite is May. That's in part because I like the photo, but even more so because of the experience. I was out solo in a very remote location trying to get a photo of the MW over one of my favorite arches. Every photo I took showed a partially pink sky (which wasn't visible to the naked eye), and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I thought my camera sensor must be having issues in the hot weather. It wasn't until the next day that I learned I had captured the MW and the aurora in the same photo. A night I will never forget!

 

Please let me know if you have a favorite, and thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

PS: Happy Halloween!!

I came across this on a recent hike!

Milky Way over Heart Rock

 This will be my last Milky Way photo for 2024. I'm sad and happy at the same time. It's been a fun project and I daresay I've gotten a little better at taking pictures of the Milky Way. For me, practice doesn't make perfect, but practice makes better. 

 

By next month's new moon, the galactic center (brightest part) of the Milky Way will only be visible from about 7:30pm to 8pm, which is before the darkest night sky, bringing an end to what is sometimes called the "Milky Way season". A little after 8pm, the GC drops below the horizon. You can still take pictures of the MW... They just won't be as dramatic without the GC.

 

I thought long and hard about a location. I don't think I could possibly best last months photo of the Milky Way over Amboy Crater. The photo is memorable, and so was the experience, with our death march out to the crater in some of the hottest temperatures I've ever experienced. Then it struck me: What about Heart Rock? It fits my requirements of being a relatively short hike and something that isn't photographed often. Let me clarify that last sentence: Heart Rock is photographed a lot, but not often at night and rarely with the MW over head. When I did a Google search, I only found a couple photos of the MW over Heart Rock, and none in late season with a vertical MW, which is what I am hoping to capture. So off I went on a hot, late afternoon hike to Heart Rock in Joshua Tree National Park.

Hiking to Heart Rock I came across this silhouette of a sky watcher!

 

I anticipated only two potential problems (pretty good for MW photography, which is fraught with challenges). First potential problem is the alignment with the MW. I hadn't been out to Heart Rock in a while and was just going from memory. If I remember correctly, the compass heading when viewing Heart Rock is roughly south to SW. If my memory is off (wouldn't be the first time), then the MW won't align over the top of the heart. Second issue is crowds. Heart Rock is now extremely popular, with a marked trail leading to it and every couple that visits the park wanting their picture in front of it for an Instagram post. With camera, tripod, and LED lights set up, I might be in the way of others.

 

Fingers crossed, I hiked out to Heart Rock about an hour before sunset. The bad news is that it was still very hot (triple digits) and I was carrying a heavy pack. The good news is that it was still very hot (hardly any other hikers on the Heart Rock trail, so crowds shouldn't be an issue). 
 

As I arrived at Heart Rock, I was anxious to check the position of the Milky Way using the PhotoPills app on my phone. Yes!! PhotoPills shows the Milky Way will be directly over the top of the heart at about 8pm. Just what I was hoping for!

 

I have about 2 1/2 hours before the MW will be in position. First order of business: Find a shady spot and relax! It turns out the heart provided some of the best shade in the area. Take off my heavy pack. Drink fluids. Once rested and rehydrated, I decided to explore the area.

The Joshua Tree boulders have their own unique personality!

 

Heart Rock looks good from either direction. For the MW, I am shooting to the SW. The photo above is the opposite view (NE). This photo also shows how Heart Rock takes on a golden color in the late afternoon light. 

 

Sunset at Heart Rock

 

As the sun sets, it's time to set up my LED lights (L and R of the heart), camera and tripod, and start taking some foreground shots. Once the camera and tripod are set up, I can't move them.
 

7PM: Blue hour. It won't be long now!

 

Voila! The galactic center is directly above the cleft in the heart. As if the heart is so full, it's bursting with stars! Ya, I'm getting carried away, but it's always fun getting the result you were hoping for. There are many things that can go wrong when it comes to MW photography, so I feel extremely fortunate to have gotten this photo. 
 

Thanks for joining me on my last Milky Way adventure of 2024!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Walking the Trails

 While my granddaughter has soccer practice, I like to go for a walk on the trails located just behind the practice fields. The area is full of wildlife because there is a year-round stream that runs through the property. My only problem is her practices start at 6:30PM, just when it's getting dark. The last week or two, I've needed to bring a headlamp with me so I can see the trail. 

Some sections of the trail are wide and fenced on either side. I turned my headlamp off before taking this photo. I was using my cellphone and was surprised to see that it wasn't a blurry mess. It was dark out, but somehow my phone's camera lightned things up nicely and steadied the shot. Impressive!! The photo properties tell me the exposure time was 1/13th of a second. With my DSLR, there is no way a hand-held shot would come out sharp at 1/13th second. Not sure how the iPhone camera manages to pull this off.

 

Hello Moon!

 

iPhone 12 mini, f 1.6, ISO 500, 1/25th second (no tripod).

 
After taking this photo, on my hike back to the soccer field, a large coyote crossed the trail in front of me and stopped and looked at me, as if trying to determine if I were a threat (or perhaps a meal?). I was in total darkness and never would have spotted him without my headlamp. He was larger than the desert coyotes I'm used to seeing, closer in size to a German Shepherd, and his fur was darker. With my headlamp shining towards him, his eyes glowed. Solitary coyotes in the desert never bother me, but this guy spooked me a bit. For the rest of my hike, I found myself turning around and facing backwards from time to time to check for glowing eyes. Maybe this helps explain why I've never seen anyone else hiking in the area after dark🫢.

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Milky Way Over Amboy Crater

 Continuing from my last post... Mitch and I are attempting to do something truly crazy in our "Summer of 2024 Milky Way a Month" project. For September, we are attempting to take a photo of the Milky Way in a vertical position over Amboy Crater, which requires a late summer exposure (August or September). The problem is the extreme heat at Amboy Crater in late summer. Dangerously extreme (114°F when we started our hike). Which makes me wonder: Has anyone ever attempted this before?? A quick Google search turned up a nice image of a diagonal MW over the crater, but no photos of a vertical MW. So you might be seeing something fairly unique here!

It's about 7PM and I'm sitting with my back to the crater. The best time to photograph the Milky Way will be between 9:30pm and 10pm, so we have some time to kill. I sit comfortably in my camp chair enjoying the desert scenery. Those clouds have us worried. Will we even be able to see the Milky Way??

 

Dramatic clouds over the crater.

 

 

Pink clouds and rain to the northwest.

 

Ta da!! I'm pretty happy with this photo. We were sooooo lucky that the clouds cleared in time for a clear view of the Milky Way. The vertical orientation makes it look like the Milky Way is erupting out of the crater, which is what we were hoping for. I wasn't able to get quite as much of the Milky Way as I was hoping for, so I re-positioned my camera on the tripod for portrait (vertical) orientation.

Yes, I like this even better, with more of the Milky Way visible. It really does look like the crater is erupting! Mitch and I don't waste any time hiking back to the car. Even at 10PM, it's still triple digits. We both agree we will never again hike Amboy Crater in the summer!🥵

 

Thanks for stopping by!! 

I'll probably make one final Milky Way outing (early October), and then the Milky Way season (and this project) will be over.

Linking with Skywatch Friday.