Podcaster: Exodus Chun-Long Sit
Title: ASTROMAN: The Dark Sky Guardian – Capturing the Milky Way – A Starter’s Guide to Capturing the Milky Way
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 learn the core settings and techniques for Milky Way photography: manual mode, fast wide lenses, ISO 3200–6400, the 500 rule, manual focusing, adding foreground storytelling, planning the Galactic Core, noise reduction, color recovery, and overcoming light pollution. A practical guide blending art, science, patience—and dark skies.
“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”.
Today’s sponsor: Big thanks to our Patreon supporters this month: Paul M. Sutter, Chris Nealen, Frank Frankovic, Frank Tippin, Jako Danar, Michael Freedman, Nik Whitehead, Rani Bush, Ron Diehl, Steven Emert, Brett Duane, Don Swartwout, Vladimir Bogdanov, Steven Kluth, Steve Nerlich, Phyllis Foster, Michael W, James K Wood, Katrina Ince, Cherry Wood.
Please consider sponsoring a day or two. Just click on the “Donate” button on the lower left side of this webpage, or contact us at signup@365daysofastronomy.org.
Please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy
or you can consider to sponsor a day of our podcast : https://cosmoquest.org/x/365daysofastronomy/product/sponsor-an-episode-of-365-days-of-astronomy/
Transcript:
Hello and welcome to Astro Man, the Dark Sky Guardian, the podcast where we explore the wonders of the universe and explore the latest in astronomy and space phenomena. I am your host, Exodus Cheng on Seats, IAU National Astronomy Education Coordinator and co-NOC, Hong Kong, China. And today we continue the sharing of Milky Way photography across the night sky.
So what is the camera setting for the whole basic of the Milky Way photography? In order to capture the Milky Way, you need to experiment with your camera settings before you are trying to go for astronomical observations and stargazing. It’s really important for more practice, especially when you are planning to visit to different places far from your hometown for a new journey in the dark sky regions. Here are some starting points that you can consider.
You may consider the manual mode to control all settings, and letting the lens to be with a large and wide aperture to maximize the light. For the ISO, starting around 3200 and 6400, higher ISO makes the sensor more sensitive to light, but there are some negative things that might introduce some noise and background effects in the image. And you may also consider the 500 rule to prevent star trails.
For example, if you are using a 20mm lens, 500 divided with 20 equals to 25 seconds exposure. And there are more autofocus might not be getting well in the dark environments. You may try to switch to manual focus and focus on a bright star or distant lights.
There are also different considerations, for example, the composition tips. Some people might consider adding some foreground elements by adding trees, mountains, or tents. Can get more content to make your photo with more interesting and more meaningful purpose, especially when you are visiting new countries or new places, international parks.
Consider some nature elements would be a really great memory for you to introduce to your friends with a really good things to recall all memories. And you can also use the Milky Way Core, the brightest sensor of the Milky Way, to get the light into your photo. And also you can use some apps for better planning to find out the Milky Way positions and plan your shoots.
So there are also some considerations that you can think of, for example, the post processing to bring your image to life. So there are some more photos straight from the camera often look flat or noisy. So the post processing helps enhance the colors and contrast with some details.
You can use different softwares with some dark sky objects detections. You can adjust the exposure, contrast, and clarify to make the stars pop. And reduce some background noise caused by the high ISO settings.
And you can also recreate and regenerate the original color of the Milky Way by using some software with scientifically accurate. So there are some common challenges that how we can overcome them. So for example, you might use some light pollution filters, or you can find some darker locations to adjust the issue of the light pollution.
And always remember to shorten the exposure time and use some star tracking mounts or equatorial mount in order with longer time exposure. And always remember that clear stars and clear skies are essentials. And always check the weather forecast before getting out.
And the battery life, so always bring extra battery for long time exposure. And for final reminder, so Milky Way photography is rewarding blend of art, science, and patience. Each shot is a unique adventure under the stars, connecting us to the vast universe we call home.
So grab your camera, find a dark spot, and let the Milky Way inspire your creativities. Thanks for joining me on today’s episode. And until next time, keep looking up and find out the Milky Way.
The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. Audio post production is by me, Richard Drumm. Project management is by Aviva Yamane.
And hosting is donated by Libsyn.com. This content is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, non-commercial 4.0 international license. Please share what you love, but don’t sell what’s free. This show is made possible thanks to the generous donations of people like you.
Please consider supporting our show on Patreon.com forward slash CosmoQuestX and get access to bonus content. Without your passion and contribution, we won’t be able to share the stories and inspire the worlds. We invite you to join our community of storytellers and share your voice with listeners worldwide.
As we wrap up today’s episode, we’re looking forward to unraveling more stories from the universe. With every new discovery from ground-based and space-based observatories, and each milestone in space exploration, we come closer to understanding the cosmos and our place within it. Until next time, let the stars guide your curiosity.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
=====================
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.
This show is made possible thanks to the generous donations of people like you! Please consider supporting our show on Patreon.com/CosmoQuestX and get access to bonus content. Without your passion and contribution, we won’t be able to share the stories and inspire the worlds. We invite you to join our community of storytellers and share your voice with listeners worldwide.
As we wrap up today’s episode, we are looking forward to unravel more stories from the Universe. With every new discovery from ground-based and space-based observatories, and each milestone in space exploration, we come closer to understanding the cosmos and our place within it.
Until next time let the stars guide your curiosity!