Milky Way over Eureka Dunes
For years, since Kurt Lawson pointed out that Sandy Peak has fantastic views, I've wanted to photograph the Milky Way over the Eureka Dunes from there. As a bonus, Mt. Whitney is visible above the dunes. I finally was successful.
Sandy Peak can be reached by a 5-mile each-way off-trail hike with 3000 ft of gain. I've hiked it three times now. The first time was in December 2021; it was cold but there was a fantastic sunset and I had amazing views in the morning. I returned in June 2022 and attempted to photograph the Milky Way over the dunes, but clouds blew in during the night.
This time, the conditions were close to ideal. It was very hot (85 F) at the trailhead, so I carried 7 liters of water for the overnight trip. The skies were clear throughout the trip, and I caught the Milky Way just as blue hour started. The dunes were illuminated by a rising 31% moon. The Milky Way was pretty much gone an hour before sunrise, which was earlier than I expected. If I had photographed this later in the year, the galaxy would have progressed further over the dunes, but the hike would have been unbearably hot.
The Milky Way has not been moved or enlarged relative to the dunes. This is how they appeared relative to each other. I averaged a few images to reduce noise in the dunes, but that's it.
Milky Way over Eureka Dunes
For years, since Kurt Lawson pointed out that Sandy Peak has fantastic views, I've wanted to photograph the Milky Way over the Eureka Dunes from there. As a bonus, Mt. Whitney is visible above the dunes. I finally was successful.
Sandy Peak can be reached by a 5-mile each-way off-trail hike with 3000 ft of gain. I've hiked it three times now. The first time was in December 2021; it was cold but there was a fantastic sunset and I had amazing views in the morning. I returned in June 2022 and attempted to photograph the Milky Way over the dunes, but clouds blew in during the night.
This time, the conditions were close to ideal. It was very hot (85 F) at the trailhead, so I carried 7 liters of water for the overnight trip. The skies were clear throughout the trip, and I caught the Milky Way just as blue hour started. The dunes were illuminated by a rising 31% moon. The Milky Way was pretty much gone an hour before sunrise, which was earlier than I expected. If I had photographed this later in the year, the galaxy would have progressed further over the dunes, but the hike would have been unbearably hot.
The Milky Way has not been moved or enlarged relative to the dunes. This is how they appeared relative to each other. I averaged a few images to reduce noise in the dunes, but that's it.