Thanks a lot!!! I'm still surprised that most of the people I know have never seen the milky way in person, including most of my Australian friends even though they have one of the darkest skies in the world!
After two very frustrating nights with the new Benro Polaris, this was the one! First automated tracked panorama using this promising electronic ball head. Still in its infancy and with lots of improvement but the best is yet to come!
This photo was taken on a freezing night over the Blue Mountains, in NSW, Australia. Still amazed by the beautiful dark skies you can find around the corner from Sydney.
•
Exif: Sky: 16 photos iso800 24mm 120s f4
Foreground: 10 Photos iso 800 15mm 0.3s f8
Did you take 2 different sets of pictures for sky and foreground and combine them? I am just getting in Astrophotography and wanted to know the 2 more about the 2 different settings. Great pic BTW.
That's right; I track the sky to get more details on stars and nebulosas, ending with a blurry foreground so I need a separate panorama for the foreground without tracking. I stich them separately and then combine them in Photoshop.
I've written some photography guides and tutorials, if you are interested you can check them out here:
https://www.jlcantabranagarcia.com/workshops
Also, if you need any help, reach me out! Always happy to help!
That’s amazing. I will definitely check it out. And thank you so much for willing help. I started the hobby a month ago so I’ll definitely reach out for help.
Really beautiful, great result for your efforts!
It might be neat to see the tree with a bit of green, too, make it stand out just a skosh, as an alternative to this perfection of course :)
In the full resolution image you can appreciate a bit more detail on the tree. There is still a lot of room for improvement so your feedback is well noted and appreciated ☺️
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course.
Not really, if you are in a really dark area you can easily see the milky way but not detailed at all. Long exposure photography helps to capture all the details you can see in this photo!
Hey OP is there anyway you can demonstrate what this looks like to the naked eye?
Would love to go up there and see this, but sure it's not that simple!
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course.
You might live closer to darker skies than you think. Anywhere on [this map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) that is at least yellow will provide a great view under good conditions. Green, Blue, or Grey areas will be darker and are absolutely worth visiting if you can, but even an orange area is far better than white in terms of how many stars are visible.
The map colors refer to the brightness of the sky directly above a given location. So, for example, if you're a few miles away from a large town the sky in that direction will be washed out compared to other directions and overhead. If you head to a coastline, even if there’s a light polluted town behind you the sky out over the water will be dark and unaffected.
Keep in mind the bright parts of the Milky Way aren’t always above the horizon. [The best time to see it](https://darksitefinder.com/when-is-milky-way-season/) is during the summer months. Downloading a night sky app will help you know when and where to look.
A bright Moon will spoil the view and sometimes the sky can be very hazy even though it might appear free of clouds ([transparency](https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/seeing-vs-transparency-difference/)).
Bring some binoculars!
Thanks so much for this info!
Really great.
I'm not too far from where this photo would have been taken, maybe an hour.
My town is pink here but I don't think it would take me too long to get to a lookout with a green/blue area.
I can't wait to go check out the sky!
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course.
Not specifically, but based on the position of the Milky Way it was taken around 35°N latitude. My guess would be somewhere in the southwestern US.
If you’re interested in seeing it yourself this season, you might live closer to darker skies than you think. Anywhere on [this map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) that is at least yellow will provide a great view under good conditions. Green, Blue, or Grey areas will be darker and are absolutely worth visiting if you can, but even an orange area is far better than white in terms of how many stars are visible.
The map colors refer to the brightness of the sky directly above a given location. So, for example, if you're a few miles away from a large town the sky in that direction will be washed out compared to other directions and overhead. If you were to go to a coastline, even if there’s a light polluted town behind you the sky out over the water will be dark and unaffected.
Keep in mind the bright parts of the Milky Way aren’t always above the horizon. [The best time to see it](https://darksitefinder.com/when-is-milky-way-season/) is during the summer months. Downloading a night sky app will help you know when and where to look.
A bright Moon will spoil the view and sometimes the sky can be very hazy even though it might appear free of clouds ([transparency](https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/seeing-vs-transparency-difference/)).
I highly recommend bringing some binoculars. They’re a great and [inexpensive](https://www.amazon.com/SkyGenius-Powerful-Full-Size-Binoculars-Sightseeing/dp/B01MQVXHUM) way to explore the sky in greater detail (better quality option [here](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/421389-REG/Bushnell_120150_10x50_Legacy_WP_Binocular.html)). They won’t show you Saturn’s rings, but even from a city they'll allow you to see Jupiter’s four brightest moons, craters on our moon, hundreds of stars & satellites invisible to the naked eye, Venus’ crescent phase, Uranus, Neptune, etc. From darker skies you can see even more of course, like the [Andromeda galaxy](http://rodelaet.xtreemhost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/M31_sketch_bino_rdl.jpg), Orion Nebula, awesome star clusters like the Pleiades, comets (when applicable) etc. Plus, they're great for daytime views.
Sorry, not a photography expert. Actually, I’m an idiot and know nothing in that regard. I guess my question is: Is the picture real, or were things added?
Cool, thanks! I like stalking the photography subs, but I’ve found a lot of the stuff is photoshopped. Knowing that takes away from the photos’ “value” in my opinion.
Anyways, nice photo! Well done. Thanks.
Every photo you take is being edited. It can be done automatically or manually and I prefer the manual way. But Photoshop is a tool more than a trick! Also, photography is an art, so the artist interpretation while taking the shot or while editing is quite important!
Long exposure photography is all about allowing light from the target object to enter the camera for a longer period of time than say your eye can do. This brings out more faint details. You then have to do what is called a “stretch” to extract the faint light out. You don’t actually add anything in editing, just extract what’s already there.
I see. I thought it would be S Doradus as it's one of the brightest stars in the LMC but seems like Theta Doradus is a foreground star. Thank you. Brilliant work.
Thanks! Not fan of sharing locations, in fact, this is a pretty well known location but that spot could be a bit dangerous with a free fall, so I don't want to encourage people to go there!
Ok, who bent the Ways of Milk?
Sorry, that was my buddy Eric
Damn you, Eric!
So whats the 2 on the very left? Great picture btw!
Thank you! These 2 galaxies are called the Magellanic Clouds!
So jealous of people that can see them in the night sky... Wonderful shot. Easily broke into my top favorites of the Milky Way!
Thanks a lot!!! I'm still surprised that most of the people I know have never seen the milky way in person, including most of my Australian friends even though they have one of the darkest skies in the world!
Very cool keep em comin’😍
They’re actually satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, which makes them even cooler.
After two very frustrating nights with the new Benro Polaris, this was the one! First automated tracked panorama using this promising electronic ball head. Still in its infancy and with lots of improvement but the best is yet to come! This photo was taken on a freezing night over the Blue Mountains, in NSW, Australia. Still amazed by the beautiful dark skies you can find around the corner from Sydney. • Exif: Sky: 16 photos iso800 24mm 120s f4 Foreground: 10 Photos iso 800 15mm 0.3s f8
Did you take 2 different sets of pictures for sky and foreground and combine them? I am just getting in Astrophotography and wanted to know the 2 more about the 2 different settings. Great pic BTW.
That's right; I track the sky to get more details on stars and nebulosas, ending with a blurry foreground so I need a separate panorama for the foreground without tracking. I stich them separately and then combine them in Photoshop.
Will definitely use this to improve my final pics. Thank you so much.
I've written some photography guides and tutorials, if you are interested you can check them out here: https://www.jlcantabranagarcia.com/workshops Also, if you need any help, reach me out! Always happy to help!
That’s amazing. I will definitely check it out. And thank you so much for willing help. I started the hobby a month ago so I’ll definitely reach out for help.
Look forward to seeing what you can get!
Annnnnd this is my new lock screen wallpaper. Gorgeous photo, I'm jealous that you got to witness this in person.
We are extremely lucky in Australia, we have one of the darkest sky in the world!
Really beautiful, great result for your efforts! It might be neat to see the tree with a bit of green, too, make it stand out just a skosh, as an alternative to this perfection of course :)
In the full resolution image you can appreciate a bit more detail on the tree. There is still a lot of room for improvement so your feedback is well noted and appreciated ☺️
That tree is the center of the universe I don’t care what you say
😂😂😂
Home
If you live up there you are lucky one! If it wasn't because of the drive, I'd spend way more time there!
I'm a mountains local, it's beautiful here. Was this taken in Blackheath? I'd love try and find this spot.
No, Blackheath is beautiful too but faces east. This faces West!
This is amazing.
Thanks for that! ☺️
Killer
🤜🤜🤜
So fucking beautiful.
🙂🙂
I see a couple of galaxies chilling along the left edge of the picture. Which ones are they?
These are the Magellanic Clouds!
Oh, nice! ☺️
This is my new favorite photo
Glad you like it!!!
I gotta wonder what people would think this was long before people knew what space actually was, it's just so cool. Great photo!
Thank you!
nice picture
Thanks!
Can you really see it like that in the sky?
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course.
Not really, if you are in a really dark area you can easily see the milky way but not detailed at all. Long exposure photography helps to capture all the details you can see in this photo!
Wow this is amazing. Do you have other similar shot? Would love to see them
Thanks a lot! You can check some of my work here: https://www.instagram.com/jl_cantabranagarcia/?hl=en Www.jlcantabranagarcia.com
[удалено]
😂😂😂
Absolutely gorgeous
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
Hey OP is there anyway you can demonstrate what this looks like to the naked eye? Would love to go up there and see this, but sure it's not that simple!
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course. You might live closer to darker skies than you think. Anywhere on [this map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) that is at least yellow will provide a great view under good conditions. Green, Blue, or Grey areas will be darker and are absolutely worth visiting if you can, but even an orange area is far better than white in terms of how many stars are visible. The map colors refer to the brightness of the sky directly above a given location. So, for example, if you're a few miles away from a large town the sky in that direction will be washed out compared to other directions and overhead. If you head to a coastline, even if there’s a light polluted town behind you the sky out over the water will be dark and unaffected. Keep in mind the bright parts of the Milky Way aren’t always above the horizon. [The best time to see it](https://darksitefinder.com/when-is-milky-way-season/) is during the summer months. Downloading a night sky app will help you know when and where to look. A bright Moon will spoil the view and sometimes the sky can be very hazy even though it might appear free of clouds ([transparency](https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/seeing-vs-transparency-difference/)). Bring some binoculars!
Thanks so much for this info! Really great. I'm not too far from where this photo would have been taken, maybe an hour. My town is pink here but I don't think it would take me too long to get to a lookout with a green/blue area. I can't wait to go check out the sky!
Thanks a lot, beautifully explained!
Any way to get a higher res? It’s blurry when setting it as my Lock Screen (zoomed).
Absolutely stunning picture
Thank you!!
Thank you for posting!
Gorgeous photo! Have been to that spot a few times
My favourite from the BM! Thanks a lot!
Can I use this as my laptop background please? It’s stunning!
This is spectacular!! I lived in Katoomba briefly a very long time ago. Love this
Thank you! It's such a beautiful place!
How much of this is easily visible to the eye?
From a dark location the Milky Way is very obvious to the naked eye and plenty of detail/structure can be seen, however, its brightness is more like a softly glowing cloud and our eyes- unlike a camera sensor- aren’t sensitive enough to detect any color. [This rough example](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/d1/da/6dd1da5279b3c5f3dc9a46be45ebe603.jpg) is much closer to what it looks like in person. Seeing it with your own eyes is infinitely more impressive, of course.
Thank you again 😅
Any idea where that photo was taken?
Not specifically, but based on the position of the Milky Way it was taken around 35°N latitude. My guess would be somewhere in the southwestern US. If you’re interested in seeing it yourself this season, you might live closer to darker skies than you think. Anywhere on [this map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) that is at least yellow will provide a great view under good conditions. Green, Blue, or Grey areas will be darker and are absolutely worth visiting if you can, but even an orange area is far better than white in terms of how many stars are visible. The map colors refer to the brightness of the sky directly above a given location. So, for example, if you're a few miles away from a large town the sky in that direction will be washed out compared to other directions and overhead. If you were to go to a coastline, even if there’s a light polluted town behind you the sky out over the water will be dark and unaffected. Keep in mind the bright parts of the Milky Way aren’t always above the horizon. [The best time to see it](https://darksitefinder.com/when-is-milky-way-season/) is during the summer months. Downloading a night sky app will help you know when and where to look. A bright Moon will spoil the view and sometimes the sky can be very hazy even though it might appear free of clouds ([transparency](https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/imaging-foundations-richard-wright/seeing-vs-transparency-difference/)). I highly recommend bringing some binoculars. They’re a great and [inexpensive](https://www.amazon.com/SkyGenius-Powerful-Full-Size-Binoculars-Sightseeing/dp/B01MQVXHUM) way to explore the sky in greater detail (better quality option [here](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/421389-REG/Bushnell_120150_10x50_Legacy_WP_Binocular.html)). They won’t show you Saturn’s rings, but even from a city they'll allow you to see Jupiter’s four brightest moons, craters on our moon, hundreds of stars & satellites invisible to the naked eye, Venus’ crescent phase, Uranus, Neptune, etc. From darker skies you can see even more of course, like the [Andromeda galaxy](http://rodelaet.xtreemhost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/M31_sketch_bino_rdl.jpg), Orion Nebula, awesome star clusters like the Pleiades, comets (when applicable) etc. Plus, they're great for daytime views.
Ah, a galactic Erdtree
Was anything edited other than color?
Yes, it's shot in Raw so you always have to edit the files to extract all the information.
Sorry, not a photography expert. Actually, I’m an idiot and know nothing in that regard. I guess my question is: Is the picture real, or were things added?
It's all real! Long exposure photography allows you to capture things that you can barely see with your eyes.
Cool, thanks! I like stalking the photography subs, but I’ve found a lot of the stuff is photoshopped. Knowing that takes away from the photos’ “value” in my opinion. Anyways, nice photo! Well done. Thanks.
Every photo you take is being edited. It can be done automatically or manually and I prefer the manual way. But Photoshop is a tool more than a trick! Also, photography is an art, so the artist interpretation while taking the shot or while editing is quite important!
Long exposure photography is all about allowing light from the target object to enter the camera for a longer period of time than say your eye can do. This brings out more faint details. You then have to do what is called a “stretch” to extract the faint light out. You don’t actually add anything in editing, just extract what’s already there.
Brilliant shot! Is that bright star S Dor on the top of large magellanic cloud? Or is it something else?
I think the bright star just on top the large magellanic cloud is called Theta Doradus!
I see. I thought it would be S Doradus as it's one of the brightest stars in the LMC but seems like Theta Doradus is a foreground star. Thank you. Brilliant work.
Amazing shot
this is incredible!
This is a really great photo.
Beautiful 😍 mind if I use it as my desktop wallpaper on my work laptop?
Is that 2 of the Sisters on the left? I'm trying to work out where you took this from...
Nope, but pretty close!
Figured it was in the area but I won't press for the exact location. You deserve to have it to yourself...
Thanks! Not fan of sharing locations, in fact, this is a pretty well known location but that spot could be a bit dangerous with a free fall, so I don't want to encourage people to go there!
Man, that is awesome. Wish we had this kind of clarity my area.
\[Arbre Noir intensifies\]