How to Find a Really Dark Place for the Best Night Sky Photos
Over the past few months, we have spent quite a lot of time outdoors in the evenings, gazing at the night sky. This summer we had a few space memorabilia, including a comet that happens once every 6,000 years and a few meteor showers, which were free and look forward to when they do. it is difficult to keep track of time.
But if you’ve ever grabbed your phone (or, you know, a real camera) and tried to take some decent shots of the night sky, you might not like the results. And then when you scroll through your Instagram feed, you see a friend post these incredible images that look like they could be from NASA .
First, your friend probably has fancy (read: professional and expensive) photographic equipment and knows how to use it as well. (For example, the photo above was not taken over the phone.) But what if you’re not really that serious about capturing images of the night sky and just wanted a quick tip that could improve your chances of snapping something decent on your phone? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Go somewhere with a very dark sky
On Shutterbug, photographer Jess Santos wrote a beginner’s guide to astrophotography . And while most of her efforts are focused on having the right equipment and knowing how to use it during and after a photo shoot, she does give one piece of advice that any of us hobbyists might find useful: find the darkest place outdoors.
If you live in a city or suburb, you probably noticed light pollution from your window at night. This becomes our normal version of what “dark” looks like. Then we visit the countryside at night and strain our necks looking up because we can’t believe how dark it really is and how much can be seen in the sky.
To find the really dark sites, Santos recommends doing a quick Google search for dark sites in your area. You can also try DarkSiteFinder (chances are Google will get you here anyway).
The moon matters
Again, if you live in a city, the moon is definitely visible, but it doesn’t seem to be the main source of light. However, once you find yourself in a dark place, you will immediately notice how bright it is. This is something that Santos also suggests when looking for a location (if you’re specifically trying to capture stars, planets, and other objects other than the moon):
If you are photographing during a full moon or even a crescent moon, the stars will appear blurred by its light … When planning a shoot on a trip, the first thing I do is check the moon phase calendar.
You will want to photograph the stars during the new moon phase, if at all possible; this is when the moon is in shadow and therefore no longer drowns out the light of the stars. If this is not possible, check the times of moonrise and moonset and match them with the times when the Milky Way is visible.
An astronomy app or a google search will also help you figure out when this is happening. And no, your phone photos probably won’t make it onto National Geographic, but they are likely to be an improvement over what you can usually take from your deck or fire escape. It can also be fun at the end of the summer and something the kids can do (if it’s not time to go to bed yet).