Glow in the Dark [Explored]

This shot was a leap of faith. I had planned it for ages, knowing the Winter Milky Way would arc perfectly over this small, graceful arch with Mt. Whitney framed beyond. But the forecast wasn’t on my side - high clouds were expected to drift in from the north after dark.

 

Should I gamble on a four-hour drive from L.A., risking a total bust, or head somewhere closer with clearer skies? In the end, I went for it. I had waited too long for this alignment to skip it.

 

At sunset, a few cirrus strands hung around, but by nightfall, the sky looked clear. Then I checked my first exposure - and every bright star was swollen and hazy. Lens issue? Desert dew? A quick test with my second camera confirmed it wasn’t the gear. Thin cirrus had crept in, their ice crystals, even though invisible to the naked eye, blurring the stars like an overpowered starglow filter.

 

There was nothing to do but keep shooting and roll with it. The final image isn’t as technically flawless as I had hoped, but I’ve grown to love it. The soft, imperfect stars capture the atmosphere of that night in a way perfection never could.

 

EXIF

Canon EOS-R, astro-modified by EOS 4Astro

Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART

IDAS NBZ filter with Canon EF-EOS R drop-in adapter

iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sunwayfoto T2840CK tripod

Low Level Lighting

 

Foreground:

Panorama of 10 panels, each a focus stack of 8x 2.5s @ ISO800 during twilight

 

Sky:

Panorama of 10 panels, each a stack of 7x 45s @ ISO1600, clear filter & 3x 105s @ ISO6400, IDAS NBZ

Done