Locating and Shooting the Milky Way (v4)

Document created by Alex Lim (alexlimco@gmail.com) for public domain use. Copyright reserved.
This document is penned to help others to find the best date and time to snap the Milky Way. For
shooting the Milky Way, you need a few things to come together before you can actually take a shot
of it clearly;
1. Dark place far away from light pollution.
In some places where Ive gone, its so dark that you can even see the Milky Way with
your bare naked eyes. Try to find a place that is far away from light pollution (artificial
light source such as street lamps, spot lights etc)
2. Preferably no moon in the night sky.
Try to find a date where it is a new moon night. You can easily search for such dates on
the Internet using Google. I use this website to track when the new moon is due.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html
3. Proper equipment
It is preferable to use a DSLR that is capable of ISO 3200 and a wide angle lens such as
the Canon EF-S 10-22 or the Tokina 11-16 (for APS-C bodies) or the EF 16-35 f/2.8 (for
full frame bodies). A tripod is a must and a remote trigger with timer is very useful in
case you need to use bulb mode. Lastly dont forget to bring a lint free cloth to wipe off
the moisture on your lens due to fogging as it will be misty out there.
4. Luck with weather
There is always an element of luck involved with shooting outdoors. If its raining or
cloudy, there goes your chance of snapping the Milky Way. Come again tomorrow or
next month.



Locating and Shooting the Milky Way (v4)
Document created by Alex Lim (alexlimco@gmail.com) for public domain use. Copyright reserved.
Shooting The Milky Way
Just set your camera on the tripod and use the widest aperture you can get (the smaller the
number the wider the aperture of your lens). If your camera has a built in horizon level, use
that to set a level horizon so that you do not have to crop your shots later on during PP.
Point to the direction indicated by the software and using manual focus set your lens to
infinity focus. Do check on the Internet how to get infinity focus on your lens as it does not
mean rotating the focusing ring to the max as it will make your shots OUT OF FOCUS! Refer
to the following chapter for some guide lines on how to locate Milky.
Credit goes to my buddy Kevin Chen for this. Switch on Liveview mode or enable Mirror
Lockup function before you shoot to prevent mirror shake when you activate the shutter
button.
Further to that, switch on HIGH ISO Noise Reduction function on your camera if its available.
Use ISO between 800 - 3200 (depending on the conditions of the time and location of
shooting) and as for shutter speed it depends on your lens and body. This is to prevent star
trails from forming in your shot.
For full frame bodies like the 5D MKII use the factor of 600/(focal length). For example if you
are using 16mm (EF 16-35L) then the max shutter speed is 600/16 = 37.5s.
For cropped bodies like the 7D or 60D, use the factor of 600/(focal length x 1.6 or 1.5). For
example if you are using 10mm (EF-S 10-22) then the max shutter speed is 600/16 = 37.5s.
There is a rule of thumb that you should not exceed 50s due to the earth rotation which will
produce star trails if you expose for more than 50s.

Locating and Shooting the Milky Way (v4)
Document created by Alex Lim (alexlimco@gmail.com) for public domain use. Copyright reserved.
Locating the Milky Way
Download the software called Stellarium from http://www.stellarium.org and install it on your
Windows PC. Start up the software and follow the steps below.

Press F6 to enter the location where you intend to shoot. In this example, I have search Google Maps
for the location of a place near Balik Pulau, Penang. After entering the correct co-ordinates, you can
save this to the list and after that close the locations dialog box.

Press F5 to enter a desired date and time for your shooting.
Locating and Shooting the Milky Way (v4)
Document created by Alex Lim (alexlimco@gmail.com) for public domain use. Copyright reserved.

Press F4 and click on the Markings tab. Select Show Lines and Show Labels options.

The Milky Way is the clearest where the star Scorpius is located. Press F3 to search for Scorpius and
press ENTER. It will bring you to where the star is located at the date and time entered.
Locating and Shooting the Milky Way (v4)
Document created by Alex Lim (alexlimco@gmail.com) for public domain use. Copyright reserved.

Now you can change the time again to search for the best time for Milky Way shooting. Gradually set
the time from 20:00 (8pm) onwards in 10 minutes increment. My preference is when the whole
band is vertical to the horizon.
You will now be able to get the direction and time to shoot the Milky Way. When on location, I use a
mobile app called Google Night Sky to locate Scorpious. But if the location is dark enough, you
should not even need any software to help you locate it. Good luck and have fun.
Locations to shoot Milky Way (Contributed by good buddy Sam Ten Kar Leong)
1) Pantai Kelanang, Banting, Klang, Selangor.
2) Sg. Besar - Sg. Nibong (north Sekinchan, Selangor.)
3) Ulu Yam Lama road toward Batu Cave Selayang, Selangor. (near Water dam)
4) Bringchang, Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
5) Mushroom Park, Genting Highlands, Pahang.
6) Sg. Lurus, Senggarang, Johor.
7) Tapah small road toward Tanah rata, Pahang.
8) Sekinchan Padi fields, Selangor.
9) Pantai Jeram, Kuala Selangor, Selangor.
10) Broga hill, Semenyih, Selangor. (Coming soon)
11) Sg. Lembing, Pahang. (Coming soon)
12) Fraser's Hill Titiwangsa Ridge, Pahang. (Coming soon)

Do remember to go in a group and take care of safety first as these places are very dark and its not
safe to go there alone.