There isn’t quite an equivalent of “calling in sick” when you make an independent living on Substack. But I have been unwell this last week with a cough and a cold. As a result, I have been going outside for fresh air when I can, rather than sneezing and wheezing indoors at my laptop.
It was the new moon on Sunday night, and forecast to be clear and still, so I drove up into the North Pennines with my camera and tripod. I rarely use my large tripod; I prefer spontaneous images as I walk around the world. This was my first meaningful go at astrophotography.
It’s 30-40 miles to the nearest substantial towns or cities, so the light pollution is low for being in Britain. It might not quite rival being in the Australian desert, but the Milky Way becomes easily visible overhead with the naked eye. It was very dark indeed: I have raised the black level in photos so that something of the landscape shows.
The chosen spot was Cow Green Reservoir, an hour from home. There was a slight temperature inversion, it being a degree or two warmer up on the moors than down in the valleys. In summer the nights are too short for this activity, and it barely gets dark. In winter, snow and ice often makes it a tricky drive.
Night photography was slightly more technically demanding than I had expected. There is nothing to focus on, and a super-wide angle lens means even the focus-zoom does little. So I used the built-in scale set to infinity and hoped for the best. You really cannot see anything including camera buttons.
The resulting images are quite heavily processed; I optimise for fun, not fidelity.
One leg of the tripod here is in the water of the slipway (look closely and you can see it). It was totally calm. The camera on a 20-30 second exposure picks up the reflections of stars in the still water; an uncommon phenomenon up here, where it is often stormy!
Meanwhile. there were bunnies EVERYWHERE doing whatever bunnies do at night.
A drive over Langdon Beck pass (one of the highest in England) and past the abandoned Groverake mine didn’t offer any better spots for night sky photography. The latter was so dark, nestled in a high valley, that it was pretty futile doing anything beyond swerving around road rabbits to drive home again.
I hope you enjoyed our vicarious trip out together. Normal writing service will be resumed when I can breathe clearly again!
Not bad for a first try.
🌠
Those are lovely Martin. Feel better!