111–120 of 200 posts
Although, it is a qualitatively different kind of "noise" -- sparkly bright dots that fly through the dark sky periodically, versus a glow that permeates the whole sky.
This is kind of depressing. I'm looking for a piece of land where I can get away from light pollution, and this is telling me that there is no such place anywhere near me, even out in the "countryside."
Resources like this (and as others have mentioned, Dark Site Finder) are very useful for astrophotography, especially for a hobbyist like myself. Many don't realize how relatively close they live to areas with great nighttime viewing conditions. For example, upstate New York has some great viewing locations, so even if you live in NYC it's an easy weekend trip. Here's a shot I took of the Milky Way taken from such a…
Wow amazing! I've been itching to show my kids the Milky Way. I myself have only seen it once in New Zealand decades ago. What is the minimum dark sky rating to be able to see it with the naked eye? I live in the Bay Area and I know there is Pigeon Point Lighthouse which is a dark sky spot but I think it's often cloudy. If anyone has better suggestions would be grateful to hear those.
There are rest stops on 280 (just south of 92) that (at least used to) host telescope parties: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vWEkH1bSvaUZKZHS8. You can definitely see the Milky Way from there, but remember it'll take 30 minutes to acclimate your eyes: tell your kids to stay off their phones (!). You're behind the San Andreas range to block out a lot of the peninsula light pollution, and you've got the coastal range holding back the fog (at least most of the time). Less moon is (much) better, and use a satellite tracker to have something else to watch out for.
This place in Kazakhstan is lit! https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=5.62&lat=48.7573&lo...
Resources like this (and as others have mentioned, Dark Site Finder) are very useful for astrophotography, especially for a hobbyist like myself. Many don't realize how relatively close they live to areas with great nighttime viewing conditions. For example, upstate New York has some great viewing locations, so even if you live in NYC it's an easy weekend trip. Here's a shot I took of the Milky Way taken from such a…
Wow amazing! I've been itching to show my kids the Milky Way. I myself have only seen it once in New Zealand decades ago. What is the minimum dark sky rating to be able to see it with the naked eye? I live in the Bay Area and I know there is Pigeon Point Lighthouse which is a dark sky spot but I think it's often cloudy. If anyone has better suggestions would be grateful to hear those.
Resources like this (and as others have mentioned, Dark Site Finder) are very useful for astrophotography, especially for a hobbyist like myself. Many don't realize how relatively close they live to areas with great nighttime viewing conditions. For example, upstate New York has some great viewing locations, so even if you live in NYC it's an easy weekend trip. Here's a shot I took of the Milky Way taken from such a…
I thought that the Northern Hemisphere was basically pointing away from the Galactic Centre, so shots like this were basically only from South America or Australia etc. Its - brilliant. Well done and thank you But .. oh man .. the whole of the UK is polluted :-( maybe a few bits of one Scottish Loch are free.
From 40N latitude one can see the sky as far south as -50deg declination (50 degrees south of the celestial equator). It's true that the galactic center is in the southern sky, but it's still visible from the northern hemisphere. If you can see Sagittarius (the teapot), you're looking in the direction of the galactic center.
The GP's shot is representative of what one can expect from about 40N. From the southern hemisphere, I've seen shots of the milky way that span from horizon to horizon, so I do think they have the better vantage point.