Starry Night Pro Plus 8.0.6 Free Download ( Win Mac)
Tanja Freeze
For quite some time astrophotographers have used a program called Deep Sky Stacker to align and combine multiple starry images and create a better result. Landscapes present a particular challenge, aligning the stars as they move through the sky would blur the landscape portion of the image. So programs have been created to stack the starry sky while masking and preserving the static landscape.
Next I had to try something a little more interesting, like a Milky Way reflection. I noticed that the program has an HDR setting, so I pointed it at three bracketed Milky Way shots taken one stop apart in exposure.
It turned out really well for a first pass. I had to process the reflection and the sky separately, since the stars move in different ways in each, then merge the results.
The goal will be to get better results without too much impact on valuable night shooting time. I already have some ideas on how we might adjust our nighttime shooting practices, especially for those precious hours we have when we get permits to shoot at night in Bodie.
The Milky Way, spreading like a ribbon above me, is part of our own little island in the universe, our own spiral galaxy. In cosmological terms, it is a fairly ordinary spiral galaxy with a diameter of around 100,000 light-years. Astronomers estimate that it consists of between 200 and 400 billion stars. As our closest neighbour to the Milky Way, there is the Andromeda Galaxy, and together with some 40 other galaxies, we form a small neighbourhood in the universe in the form of the Local Galaxy Group, which in turn combines with other galaxy groups to make up the Virgo Super Group consisting of around 10,000 galaxies. The size is almost incomprehensible to a human being, but still, it is a mere suburb in the cosmic community.
Photographing the Milky Way is a challenge to photographers interested in astronomy. However, the development of digital cameras with very light-sensitive sensors and other technical aids means that we can now take pictures that were very difficult to achieve just a decade ago. The conditions where I stand in the dark west of Jokkmokk are also conditions that are very difficult to find in a densely populated area.
Photographs of the Milky Way often end up in the Starscape category. It is a form of landscape photography where the night sky plays a main role in the composition. It differs from pure astrophotography, which is primarily about taking photos of specific objects such as planets, nebulae or galaxies. Photographing starscapes is something that most amateur photographers can do, but it still places some demands on both equipment and methods. So, what do you actually need?
To take photos of the Milky Way and the starry sky in the simplest way possible, you need a digital DSLR camera, preferably a model that produces low noise at higher ISO speeds. You could use an advanced compact camera as well, of course, but if you want good results, you need a good camera.
Generally speaking, you use the largest aperture of the lens. With my Irix 15mm f/2.4, however, I usually take it down to f/2.8 to improve edge sharpness, which can be a little soft using the largest aperture.
Setting the right focus in complete darkness is a challenge, to say the least. Autofocus does not work, so manual focus is a must. A tip is to focus on something distant beforehand, then lock the focal ring with a piece of tape, for example. Lenses with a real focus ring and hyperfocal scales are often easier to use, and some manufacturers have a little mark that lets you feel when the focus ring is set to infinite.
The best time to capture the Milky Way is during dark evenings and nights with little or no moonlight. That does mean that it will be very dark, and planning photography can be difficult. A tip is to scout out a place in daylight and try to imagine the motive. There is a useful app called PhotoPills that facilitates planning.
Astroscapes with motorised tracking are basically always composed. When tracking is turned on, the camera will be facing the same point in the sky. The stars will then be point-shaped and sharp, but the foreground will be blurred due to motion blur. This means you have to take at least one picture with the tracking off to get a sharp foreground.
I usually combine the methods. I make an accurate pole setting and take at least 10 exposures of one minute each for the starry sky and then as many exposures with tracking turned off for the foreground. These files are stacked and individually processed, so I have one file with a sharp and contrast-rich starry sky but blurred foreground and one file with a sharp foreground but blurred stars, which are then combined and de-masked.
Astrophotography images and astroscapes with the Milky Way require some post-processing to let dim subjects be shown in their full glory. Here you may need to adjust white balance, contrast, clarity, local contrast and noise. There is quite a bit of information on YouTube, on the channel milkywaymike, for example.
Last but not least, it is important to emphasise how important it is to be prepared for a chilly evening or night. Bring warm clothes, a hat and mittens. September and October are months where it can get quite cold at night. A head torch is a must.
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