Night Sky Basics- The Milky Way from Cherry Springs
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- First time truly attempting to tackle Milky Way photography in Cherry Springs State Park, PA. Not a bad first foray. Basic ideas to make your first try easier.
For information on rules and fees and camping at Cherry Springs State Park, please visit www.dcnr.pa.go...
I’ve been blessed to grow up in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania. My parents own about 50 acres in central Pa farmland and they have very little light pollution, although nothing like cherry springs. As a kid, we’d be swimming at night and get out of the pool and lay in the field in front of my parents and gaze upon the heavens, and it’s indescribable beauty. I’m so thankful as an adult to have had this very golden opportunity to see how small and insignificant we truly are in the grand scheme of things.
I was 10 years old when comet hale-bopp passed by earth. Luckily my mother and father appreciate the beauty of our existence because they took me and my infant sister outside to watch it pass by. I’ll never, ever forget the night or what I saw, it was the most spectacular thing I’ve witnessed in my lifetime, outside of holding my children in my hands for the first time. The comet approached our house from the east and slowly streaked across the clear night sky, moving toward the northwest from roughly 45° looking off the horizon as I remember. It looked like a sparkler minus the sparks, with a tail that had a white-blue hue to it. It took about 20 seconds in all if I remember correctly, and I clearly remember seeing the tail of the comet slowly dying out in the distance as it sped off into space.
To this day the image of that comet has been seared in my brain and at the time sparked my lifelong amateur curiosity in space and everything to do with it.
I can’t tell you how many shooting stars I’ve seen in my lifetime, we’d sit by the fire pit and look at the sky and some nights there’d be so many, you would quit counting.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. You really are blessed. I grew up just west of Baltimore, and as a kid we could see a lot, but not nearly as much, and most of it is gone now. My plan is to call a darker location home very soon. You have quite the memories, and I wish you years more of them.
Thank you for this very informative video.
I am lucky enough to live only an hour and a half from Cherry Springs. I live in a very rural area and 50 years ago you could see the Milky Way as plain as all get-out. My in-laws lived in the Poconos in the 70s and it was the same deal there. Now even on the darkest night where I live I have not seen the Milky Way in many many years. The entire Horizon and much above it is lit up. This is in a County with only 54 people per square mile and my Township only has 14 people per square mile and you still cannot ever get a clear sky. I used to shoot the Stars here using several different Konica cameras back in the day. Man I miss the old sky. I am definitely going to take my grandchildren to Cherry Springs State Park and introduce them to the dark sky. Thank you once again. Take care and be safe.
You're very welcome. I still live just west of Baltimore (for now) and I can remember much darker, though not totally black, skies as a child in the 70s and 80s. Well worth my drive to CSSP. Be safe as well.
Really nice video...sat and looked the whole thing. Great contents. Keep it up!
Thank you. More stuff coming soon.
Thanks. I apologize for replying from my Honeybee channel login.
Great stuff Mike. It was good to sit a bit and watch you work. Take care of yourself and we miss ya.
Thanks. I miss you guys, too. Once family stuff settles I'll make a point to get up there.
what a great place to visit! can't wait to go again this year!!
Yeah, I'm hoping to get up there this summer a few times. Thanks for watching.😊
I would really like to go there but I live to far away. Nice some people can enjoy the beauty of a dark sky.
It's about 5 hours drive for me, so I totally get it. I live outside Baltimore, MD and I can't see a tenth of what I could as a kid. I hope you get the opportunity to find some dark skies.
Good video. I have always wanted to see the milky way but can’t because I live in town. But now you have given me a location within driving range of me to see it. Thank you.
You are very welcome. Feel free to let me know how it goes for you when you get a chance to go.
Absolutely.
I'm in Baltimore and I'm really excited to make my first trip put to Cherry Springs this summer. I could not have imagined there was an East Coast Dark Sky sanctuary.... Thanks for the video
You are very welcome. I'd love to hear how it goes.
@@phoebees9305 what is the best time of year to go
Best view of the Milky Way from that location is midsummer...July/August. There is more core to be seen then. (Phoebees is my other Channel. Pardon any confusion.)
Thank you for showing and educating us on how to get that night sky picture.
You are very welcome. I hope it comes in handy for you.
Absolutely incredible
Thanks so much for watching. I hope you have a chance to get there, or one that might be closer to you.
@@michaellyons5208 I live about 5 hours from there. I live in Philadelphia and my sister is going camping there this weekend coming up and she was telling me all about it. I definitely will make this trip soon. Thanks for uploading. Its incredible
@@Karen-wb2vt excellent. Feel free to let me know how it goes.
Very cool. I want to go here with my family on Father's day
Hi, I'm very sorry I missed your message. I do hope you got a chance to go with your dad. Please let me know how it went.
@@michaellyons5208 I will definitely my friend 😎
Very nice explanation!
Thanks! Keep it up!
The Adventure Guy Thanks. More soon. ☺
going to charry springs next year,if i see you l will say hi !!!
Hoping to get there winter and summer. I'll keep my eyes open.
Everything is moving.
It is. That is why having the widest angle lens gives you the longest exposure time with the least movement. Using a tracker makes things easier, but at this time I don't have one, so this is the compromise approach.
Wonderful images, great thoughts as well. Thank you. I just came back from Cherry Springs State Park and it was wonderful. Sadly couldn’t capture much with iPhone. Would need to get into night sky photography! Could you please suggest a minimal body+lens combo for me to get started please? Thank you.
You definitely need something with fully manual capabilities, a good digital camera option is the Canon T-Series. And the shortest length lens you can find like a 24 mm or less because that's going to give you the widest field and the longest possible exposure time. You can actually do it with the lens that comes with a Canon rebel but the smaller you can go the better. You can also look for used fisheye lenses that will fit or grab yourself an adapter for non-canon lenses
@@michaellyons5208 Thank you so much!
Do you have to use a special camera to see the milkyway
Not something "special" per se, but what you need is a camera that allows manual settings so you can open your aperture wide and still control your shutter speed as you will need exposures anywhere from 30 seconds and up. Plus, the wider your lens angle, the more time you can leave the shutter open.
The Canon Rebel series would be an example of one.
I hope this helps.
But a good dark clear location will open it all up to your eyes.
@@michaellyons5208 thank you
This place is only 44 minutes from my house. I'm definitely gonna go and check it out. I don't need a camera to see do i?
You won't need a camera to see the Milky Way clearly on a clear night. Plus millions of other stars. On the clearest of nights you just might discern the slightest color to the core, but in order to get bright color you need a camera. But even a good phone camera can do the trick nowadays. Let me know how your visit goes.
@@michaellyons5208 awesome I certainly will let you know how my trip goes
@@johnnyblaze8439 so how’d it go😂
@@AlwinMakes he died
@@AlwinMakes I’m here rn and it’s literally the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen
Hey Michael, thanks for the video. What's the deal with staying overnight there? From what I understand you have to buy a special permit to do so. Did you do this?
The public viewing area is intended for several hours of viewing, not really overnight camping. There is an area for registered users to use overnight, as well as an actually campground, which has fees and is open during certain seasons. I was in the public viewing area from sunset until about 1 AM and left to return home as it is only a few hours away (I'm used to the late driving.)
Here is the website for more information on the regulations and fees: www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CherrySpringsStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
I will also add it to the show notes.
WOW Thanks.
You're very welcome. I hope you get a chance to go.
@@michaellyons5208 We went on Saturday, March's new moon! The park was half snow covered, slushy, slippery in spots, and bitter cold, below freezing and windy, but it was spectacular! As soon as I opened the car door, I couldn’t believe how BRIGHT they stars were! And how many people were there! We had trouble finding a place to park. I think 2/3 of the parking lot was unplowed. My snowsuit that I usually am too hot in was not warm enough even with the extra blankets, but I still enjoyed every minute of the view from our lawn chairs. I could see more and more stars coming out, in such depth, when it was time for our 4-hour drive home in the dark. We were lucky not to see any critters on the roads.
The last time we tired to come (overcast) the roads had deer around every turn and we all were on deer watch.
I already want to go back. But I did get to see it! And maybe we’ll get to see the Milky Way this summer and perhaps spend the night. We made wishes on “shooting stars.” 😉 THANKS again for your video, it was very helpful. ❤ Happy Trails!
Til when is the milkyway showing?
Parts of it are always visible at night (with clear and dark skies of course,) but best viewing of the core is during summer months- June, July, August.
Would like to go next month will I still be able to see it?
@@redblue8136 yes, you should. Just maybe not quite as much of the core. ☺
What month did you go?
July, in the video. Summer is best, as there is a greater view of the core. But it is visible in part year round. Thanks for asking.
I believe it’s the 500 rule not 600. Not sure if it makes that much of a difference
A quick Google scan shows about a 50/50 split on it. 500 will give a slightly more conservative exposure time which many feel is best for photos you decide to print, while 600 is fine for online images
. But yeah, I say go with what works best for you. Test both options out with your gear and go with the winner. But you're correct...the difference is fractional. Thanks for pointing that out.
How the fork can I get there 😐 I cant find sny airports nearby or towns nearby that I can bus to
That's a tough one. First, I would do an internet search to see if maybe there is a closer dark sky location to you within driving distance (me not knowing where you are.) Beyond that, the nearest airports would probably be Pittsburgh or Harrisburg which still have a multi hour drive. Hazards of having to be remote. If you don't mind the cost of flying, perhaps you can hit a spot out west where there are plenty more than on the east coast. Even Canada. Best of luck. I hope you get there or another spot that works as well.
The closest airport would be Elmira NY or Bradford PA, you'd probably then want to rent a car to get to Coudersport.
Keep making videos
Thanks. Now that I have both knees working again it will be much easier.
Can i see the milkey way and a sky full of stars just with my own eyes ?
Yes, of course. ☺ But darker skies certainly help. Sadly light pollution makes it harder to see any but the brightest stars sometimes.
@@michaellyons5208 when the best times to visit Cherry Springs State Park ?
@@zakikecir4161 best viewing of the milky was is midsummer, though the dark hours are shorter. Winter gives you longer dark times, almost no crowds, and lower humid (less haze) but also less of the Milky Way. And it gets very cold. But I was there Christmas Day 2016 totally alone with perfectly clear skies. Gorgeous.
@@michaellyons5208 How much can you see with the naked eye at Cherry Springs? I plan on making a trip there.
@@LukeSutherland. this past summer I was able to see clear definition on the milky way including dust clouds and even a hint of golden color in the core. Winter doesn't give you as much core view, but the low humidity gives sharp clarity.
They won't let me watch the last half of the video, CZcams s fault
Well crud! I'm sorry. I hope you eventually got to see it.