Podcaster: Exodus Chun-Long Sit
Title: ASTROMAN: The Dark Sky Guardian – The Dark Sky Messenger: A Beginner’s Guide to Night Sky Photography
Organization: IAU NAEC & Co-NOC Hong Kong, China
Link: https://exodussit.wordpress.com/english
Description: Description: In this episode of Astro Man: The Dark Sky Guardian, host Exodus Shanong Sit, NAEC and co-NOC of Hong Kong (China), introduces us to the enchanting world of Milky Way photography. From understanding when and where to shoot, to essential gear and camera settings, this episode is your beginner’s guide to capturing the galaxy we call home. Whether you’re a night sky lover or an aspiring astrophotographer, tune in and get ready to shoot the stars!
“ASTROMAN: the Dark Sky Guardian” is a podcast channel that aims to explore popular science in multiple disciplines and research on interdisciplinary approaches, such as sustainability, dark-sky protection, astrophotography, space exploration, astronomy innovation, inclusive science communication, and STEAM Education by integrating science and arts.
Bio: Exodus CL Sit, also known as the ASTROMAN, is a transmedia astronomy educator, popular science author, STEAM educator, and science communicator in Hong Kong. He is recently the National Astronomy Education Coordinator (Chair of Hong Kong, China) of the International Astronomical Union and President of Starrix. He was also an International Committee Member of the Dark Sky International, regularly organizing public lectures at the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Science Museum. He was also the author of a popular science book “Decoding the Starry Night: A Guide to Stargazing and Astrophotography”.
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Transcript:
Hello and welcome to Astro Man, the Dark Sky Guardian, the podcast where we dive into the wonders of the universe and explore the latest news in astronomy and space phenomena. I am your host, Exodus Shanong Sit, National Astronomy Education Coordinator and also the co-NOC of Hong Kong, China in the IU, and today we are diving into the mesmerizing world of Milky Way photography, that magical art of capturing the growing river of stars stretching across the night sky. Whenever you are an aspiring photographer or simply a night sky enthusiast, this episode will guide you through the basis and basics of photography the Milky Way from planning your shoots to tips for capturing stunning images.
So what is the Milky Way? First, a quick refresher, the Milky Way is our home galaxy, a vast collection of billions of stars, gas, and dust. When you look up on a clear, dark night, the Milky Way appears as pearls, fangs, milky band arching across the sky, a breathtaking sight that’s been inspiring humans for millions of years.
Photographing the Milky Way let us capture this beauty in a way our eyes alone can’t fully appreciate, with a lot of different details and colors hidden in the night sky. What is the best moment and places to photograph and capture the Milky Way? It’s really essential for timing and locations are the success for a Milky Way photography.
What is the best time? The Milky Way is most visible during the warmer months, roughly from late spring to the early fall in the northern hemisphere, and we can see the core, the brightest parts, which is visible between 10 p.m to 4 a.m depending the month that we are observing. It’s also important that considering the dark sky parts that light pollution from cities can wash out the Milky Way aims for locations far from the urban lights, national parks, rural areas, and designated dark sky reserves are ideal, for example the international dark sky parks.
More importantly we should also consider the moon phase. The moon’s brightness can overpower the Milky Way. Always remember to plan your shots around the new moon or when the moon is below the horizon.
So there are a lot of different essential gear for a Milky Way photography. You don’t need to prepare the most expensive equipment to get started but a few essentials will make a big difference. For example prepare a DSLR camera and also some mirrorless camera with manual setting is the best options for camera settings that allowing you to control exposure, focus, and ISO.
For the lens you can consider a right angle lens with a large aperture that has more light and capture more in the night time. Always remember for long time exposure shooting a stable tripod is essential and important to avoid unnecessary camera shake. More importantly you can consider preparing a remote shutter release that helps to to prevent some vibrations when you’re pressing the shutter button.
So that’s all for today and I will share more tips and the whole procedures for Milky Way photography in the next episodes and thank you for listening and I’m Exodus Chun-Long Sit.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by Planetary Science Institute. Audio post production by me, Richard Drumm, project management by Avivah Yamani, and hosting donated by libsyn.com. This content is released under a creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. Please share what you love but don’t sell what’s free.
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Until next time let the stars guide your curiosity!