Best location for the Milky Way

Thanks for the heads up

I've done a small bit of research, and apart from the absence of light pollution, apparently the setup should be an ultra wide angle lens ( 8 to 16mm ) with a large aperture and a camera good enough to
be sharp at a High ISO. The D300 may fall a bit short there but might be ok. With this, the exposure should be about 30s - any more and the movement of stars will be caught which wouldn't be ideal to capture the Milky Way arm. Also the lens set to manual focus and focal point at infinity. I'll probably, as you say, have to mess around and take a few shots but I was hoping to get it in one shot - or a series of single shots with different exposures I can select from- as opposed to layering them to create an effect.

Just need the right spot now !

Rory

( Sourced from : blog.iamnikon.com/en_GB/tag/milky-way/ )

Hey Rory.
Your spot on there.
The max your gonna get without tracking is 25-30 sec.
You'll need to be in a VERY dark place for a start so get as far away from any city or towns as you can.
As wide a lens as you can get and yip manual focus but don't set it to the infinity 'stop' as this will be past focus.
Focus on something like venus first and then work away.
You do need the ap. to be as wide as you can but I've found one stop back up from fully open
will yeild a sharper image.
Highest ISO as well.

So see how you go and I'm sure you'll pick up some nice shots.
If you really want to pick up as much of the MW as poss then you'll need tracking.
A simple barn door tracker (sometimes called Scotch Mount) is all you need.
They are easy build and cheap but work,.
If you go for the treacked shots then you'll need to be in the middle of nowhere
so as not to pick up light pollution.
I've tracked shots for 10 min in the likes of the Burren and still picked up some LP.

Best of luck...
post em up here when you get em!

Hi Rory, to add to the guys comments here, one good tip also is to definitley go to your preferred site by day first to see what the place is like, before going to it at night. I've been caught before with regard to locked gates and some rough or wet ground that you will only see during the day. Also look out for the dreaded disposed of beer cans and why not bring someone along with you?

just a tip that's all, you'll find the wicklow area very good, south of dublin with all the light pollution behind you back It will be well worth it!

Keith.

Hi Keith,

Yep thats a solid piece of advice. It makes sense to leave as little as possible to chance... The more I think of it, the more Slieve Maan seems ideal - right in the middle of the dark sky zone from what I can make out.There is a car park, or lay-by, on top that would serve as a base quite well with a few options around to include some area in the foreground.

Any thoughts on time of night/ morning ? A few hours either side of sunrise/ sunset ?

Rory

Definitely turn up about half an hour or so before sunset,that will give you some decent amount of time to set your gear, and check your batteries and anything else. If you want to to get the milkyway it all depends on the time of year really, and what constellations you would like to shoot.

This time of year you would look to shoot the centre of the milkyway at about 4am but it will be available much earlier from say june onwards, now you could easily get the cygnus region from midnight on.

Even the milkyway about Orion and Canis major would be just in reach now after sunset, gemini and auriga, cassiopeia too

Keith.

I'm thinking the center might offer the most dramatic views, as well as convenience it must be said. But I would have a preference for the center in any case.

Have to confess I'm not well up on the constellations ( I know the titanium my bike is made of comes from a super nova ! )

Would canis major be part of the milky way center view, say from June onwards ?