Photographing the Milky Way: Anja Kallenbach's Guide

Our home galaxy, which also includes our entire solar system, is called the "Milky Way". From Earth, the stars of the Milky Way appear in the night sky as a band-shaped brightening that strongly resembles a brushstroke drawn with milk. It generally covers a 360° field of view. Unfortunately, this formation of billions of stars can only be seen – and photographed with a camera – if one moves away from the bells of "light pollution" that cover more and more urban centers of our planet. More than 80 percent of the Earth's population has never been able to see the Milky Way with their own eyes, and this trend is rising. Our guide and tips on camera settings, equipment, and location for photographing the Milky Way and starry sky, as well as our Astroklar anti-light pollution filters will help you not only admire the stars in the night sky but also capture them in your own way.

This two-part blog series on "Photographing the Milky Way" aims to motivate you to take on this adventure – the reward will inspire you and perhaps even turn you into a true fan of this photographic discipline. Aside from the fact that there is hardly anything more breathtaking than the starry sky – whether in a photo or with the naked eye. 

This first part of this mini-series deals with the technology, important background information, and the rather demanding shooting in the dark of night. Photographer Anja Kallenbach provides tips on equipment, camera settings for nocturnal astrophotography, location and details such as aperture, ISO values and lens. In the second part , we will focus on post-processing images in Adobe Lightroom. The right location is the number one success factor for astrophotography. Accordingly, we need to plan and prepare our Milky Way shoot intensively.

All images and much background information for this article were kindly contributed by the experienced Milky Way photographer Anja Kallenbach, to whom we would like to express our sincere thanks for her comprehensive support. Anja Kallenbach has been specifically involved in star and Milky Way photography for about 3 years and has since built up an excellent reputation.

Technology, important background information and shooting in the dark of night

The right location is the number one success factor for astrophotography. Accordingly, we need to plan and prepare our Milky Way shoot intensively:

1. Finding the right location and time

There are indeed a few places in the world from which you have a perfect view of our impressively beautiful starry sky. Top locations include the Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife – the concentrations of observatories serve as a good indicator.

As a beginner in astrophotography, you usually don't book a flight to the Canary Islands immediately to gain your first experience. In our latitudes, however, to get a reasonably good view of the interior of our galaxy, you still have to move a few kilometers away from civilization. But before you wander aimlessly on the next clear starry night, it's better to use a light pollution map – on the free website https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ the light pollution levels of the respective location are listed according to the globally uniform "Bortle Scale". To achieve reasonably good results, you should look for places that correspond at least to class 4 (green area, rural/suburban transition). In the extension of the chosen location towards the Milky Way, there should also be no larger city, as its light dome can still be seen from a distance of 10 kilometers and can still impair the shot.

However, the strongest light pollution – for millions of years – still has natural causes. The moonlight – or the sunlight reflected from the moon's surface – shines extremely brightly not only during a super full moon . Even in "normal" full moon phases, the results are rather unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the brightest part of the Milky Way, the so-called "galactic center", hides behind the horizon for Europeans between mid-February and October. Therefore, it is actually only worthwhile between March and the end of September – and during the days around new moon – to grab your equipment and march towards the Milky Way.

But where exactly is it? The web also knows an answer to this question: the site Stellarium provides an open-source, free program available for all common computer operating systems that tells us the respective position of the stars, planets, and even the entire Milky Way. For on the go, the Planitpro app is suitable, which costs 10 euros but offers an incredibly helpful range of functions for passionate Milky Way photographers. For example, you mark your own Google Maps position and receive precise information on where and when the galaxy can be seen. The built-in LiveView function makes aligning the camera child's play, and a panoramic overview also shows mountains that might be "in the way". Of course, a light pollution map is also integrated, so you can plan with just one app from the beginning.

Alternatively, you can also use the Photopills app, which has a similar range of functions. In addition to this very specific information, you should of course always keep a close eye on the weather – the best location is useless if it's raining heavily and the cloud cover is as thick as concrete. As an astrophotographer, you only work under clear skies, referred to as "CS – Clear Sky" in technical jargon. Here too, you get the latest data from the Internet; Kachelmannwetter and Meteoblue provide very good and reliable data, compactly presented.

Summary: Time and location to photograph the stars of the Milky Way

• Move away from the "light domes" of cities
• Only photograph the Milky Way during a new moon
• Carefully research the day, location, and weather using apps and the internet to achieve perfect results in Milky Way photography

2. What equipment do you need for Milky Way photography?

Having dealt with the necessary planning and preparation, we now turn to the equally crucial topic of equipment. Unfortunately, Milky Way and astrophotography are among the areas that require particularly high-quality photo equipment – both in terms of the camera body and the lenses and filters.

Suitable cameras for photographing the Milky Way & starry sky

The quality of the camera and the size of the sensor generally have a positive effect on noise performance in the dark – since we as astrophotographers are always out and about at night, we cannot compromise here. In addition, all functions should be executable in manual mode, and the camera must also have a connection for a radio or cable remote control and a LiveView option.

Lenses for photographing stars and the night sky

Regarding the angle of view, the same applies to the lens: wider is better. We don't just want to capture a small section on the memory card, but rather the Milky Way in all its beauty. As galaxy photographers, we prefer to leave the photographing of individual stars and planets to scientists in observatories with their special lenses.

The "Milky Way" of course also wants to be staged appropriately; without known reference points, the human brain cannot adequately grasp the immensity of our astronomical neighborhood. Therefore, we should use astro lenses with a focal length of 14-24mm (full-frame sensor) or 10-16mm (APSC sensor) . The second critical factor is the aperture – here we should take optics with us into the night that open up to f 2.8 or wider. Unfortunately, a wider aperture also regularly increases the price of suitable wide-angle lenses for Milky Way photography.

Tripods for astrophotography and stargazing

Stable, weather-resistant, and extremely load-bearing outdoor and travel tripods are particularly suitable for Milky Way photography. Given the long exposure times, even the slightest vibration – caused by an unintentional bump or a gust of wind – can ruin the entire shot. The tripod should ideally also have a center column hook to further lower the center of gravity with the weight of our camera backpack or camera bag . Since we rarely know the conditions on site exactly in advance, tripod feet that can optionally be equipped with steel spikes greatly facilitate our "work" as astrophotographers.

Additional light sources for night sky photography

Ideally, we should know our astrophotography equipment "blindly" – and be able to make all important settings even in the dark and with reduced camera screen brightness.

For the way to the location or for additional measures on site, we need a headlamp that can also be switched to red light mode if necessary. Red light hardly blinds our eyes; if we have to switch on a conventional flashlight every time, our eyes need up to 20 minutes to return to "night vision mode." We should also consider our surroundings, nocturnal animals, and fellow photographers whom we do not want to unnecessarily blind.

Remote release for photographing stars in the night sky

Cable or radio remote releases are significantly better than the self-timer, which often informs us of its operation with unwanted light and sound signals. Beyond simple triggering, they should ideally also allow for free selection of exposure time and intervals. Cable releases offer the advantage of not being disturbed by external radio signals.

Camera filters / lens filters for Milky Way photography

To cope with the remaining light pollution at the chosen location, a special Astroklar filter against light pollution is used, which reduces the wavelengths in the yellow and orange range, largely restores the natural blue of the night sky, and also provides stronger contrasts.

Accessories and clothing for astrophotography

Spare batteries should not be carried in your camera bag, especially on cold nights, but rather close to your body to prevent premature discharge and disappointment. Also, remember to bring extra memory cards, camera and lens cleaning supplies , and warm, waterproof, and discreetly colored clothing.

Now that we have completed the planning and preparation as desired and safely and dryly stored the camera equipment in the well-padded and fatigue-free camera backpack, we will deal with the correct settings – for our camera.

Summary of equipment for Milky Way photography

• Astrophotography requires high-resolution cameras and fast lenses
• Counteract light pollution with a good astro filter
• Tripod, remote release, headlamp with red light function, and weather-resistant clothing are essential equipment

Camera settings for Milky Way photography

As in all other photographic disciplines, the mutual interdependence of exposure time, ISO , and aperture also applies to astrophotography – clearly illustrated in the so-called exposure triangle. Here you will find detailed information on how to make the camera settings to succeed in photographing the stars of the Milky Way .

In Milky Way and astrophotography, however, we reach our limits on the exposure time axis: the Earth continuously rotates, and if we expose for too long, the stars and planets turn into streaks. While we can deliberately use this stylistic device to illustrate the paths of celestial bodies, for a tack-sharp depiction of the Milky Way's swirls, we should only expose for as long as necessary. As a rule, for Milky Way and night sky photography, an exposure time of between 20 and 25 seconds is assumed. However, this can vary greatly from location to location. 

Nowadays, given the much more sensitive sensors, instead of the 500 rule, only the 300 rule (300 / (focal length in mm)) applies. For APS-C sensors, we also have to consider the reduction of the final image size in the formula: 300 / (focal length in mm x crop factor).

However, a generally valid recommendation cannot be given even with the inclusion of these parameters – the influencing factors at the location are too diverse and variable. To avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get home and look at your Milky Way photos on your computer, you should definitely take some test photos and check on the camera display by zooming in to see if the stars are still stars or already streaks.

So we mainly influence the image quality and the "wow factor" of the final result with the ISO number and aperture. Try out at home in the dark at which ISO number your camera starts to produce noise. Since we are entering the astrophotography ring with the highest possible quality camera body, we should not shy away from going up to 3200 (APS-C) or even 6400 to 8000 (full frame). If we then also open the aperture properly, the chances are comparatively good of taking home great Milky Way photos. We can safely leave the autofocus out of consideration, as the distances and the widest possible angle of view do not allow for a meaningful function of this otherwise very useful helper. We therefore proceed differently:

How to focus on the Milky Way?

First, we switch off image stabilization, set it to "infinity," find the brightest star, zoom in as close as possible with LiveView, and then turn the focus ring back and forth. As soon as the celestial body can no longer be "shrunk," we have reached the ideal setting. Now we can zoom out again and concentrate on the subject.

Choose RAW or JPEG for astrophotography?

The RAW format takes up more storage space, but it also stores significantly more information. Since white balance doesn't really work reliably at night (due to a lack of reference surface), RAW gives us more leeway and allows us to get more out of noise reduction in post-processing.

We therefore prefer to completely switch off the camera's built-in noise reduction, as the well-intentioned automatic system in the exceptional situation of Milky Way photography often identifies one or two stars as unwanted noise and "erases" them.

Instructions: Camera settings and equipment to photograph the Milky Way:

• Shutter release: M-mode recommended, best to use a tripod and remote release
• Lens: use a wide-angle lens (astro lenses), 14-24mm (full-frame sensor) or 10-16mm (APSC sensor) 
• Aperture: Aperture at least f/2.8
• ISO values: 3200 (APS-C) or even 6400 to 8000 (full-frame) – best results with wide open aperture
• Exposure time: usually between 20 and 25 seconds. Expose only as long as necessary, as exposure time is limited by Earth's rotation

Image Composition in Astrophotography

After the test shots to "warm up" with the highest possible ISO value and variable exposure time, we'll soon be ready for the "sharp shot": In the tension between brightness and image noise, we'll play a little with the ISO value and then choose the desired image section.

But beware: we shouldn't let the camera display lull us into a false sense of security regarding brightness. The "mouse cinemas" always mean well and present us with an image that is consistently too bright compared to the saved real data. At home, an – actually unnecessary – nasty surprise awaits us.

Overexposed images can still be salvaged in post-production, but it's rarely possible to make anything usable from "drowned out" black images. As seasoned astrophotographers, we therefore prefer to rely on the histogram readings, which we display on the dimmed screen. The much more meaningful curve should not be cut off on the left, otherwise there's a risk of underexposure! We should always photograph the horizon horizontally to place the many curvatures of the wide-angle shot within a frame familiar to the eye. How much sky we capture then primarily depends on the magnificence of the respective Milky Way! To focus perfectly horizontally, we can use the help of high-quality spirit levels.

Summary of Camera Settings for Milky Way Photography

• Exposure time is limited by Earth's rotation
• Autofocus usually doesn't work, use LiveView for reliable focusing
• Always work with RAW format
• Trust the histogram rather than the viewfinder; it should not be cut off on the left!

In the second part of this blog article series, we will deal with the sensible post-processing of our astrophotography in Adobe Lightroom at a beginner's level, with numerous screenshots providing clear and comprehensible tips.

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