My First Glimpse of the Galactic Core: Milky Way Over the Philippines
It's a feeling unlike any other – seeing the vast expanse of the Milky Way stretch across the night sky for the very first time. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to visit my province in Pangasinan, Philippines, and with it, a chance to capture this celestial wonder. This marks my debut into the world of astrophotography, and I'm thrilled to share the experience and the final image.
The Challenge of the Dark
As a beginner, the journey began with a broken DSLR, forcing me to rely on my smartphone's capabilities. Fortunately, my Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC boasts a robust manual mode, a crucial feature for night sky photography. Shooting in a Bortle 2 sky with no moon interference, around 4 am, provided ideal conditions. The challenge, however, lay in the extreme darkness – I could barely see anything through the camera app until I took a test shot. This made compositing the shot a particularly tricky, yet rewarding, endeavor.
Gear and Acquisition Details
- Device: Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC
- Lens: Main camera (25mm f/1.9 equivalent)
- Shooting Mode: RAW via the default Camera App's Pro Mode
- Settings: 30 frames at ISO 6400 and 15s exposure each
- Mount: Untracked, using a tripod
Processing the Celestial Canvas
Bringing this image to life involved several steps:
- Stacking: All 30 RAW frames were stacked using Sequator to reduce noise and enhance detail.
- Sky Processing: The stacked sky data was then processed in Darktable, involving adjustments to exposure and curves.
- Foreground Enhancement: For the trees in the foreground, I encountered a slight issue: I forgot to capture a dedicated clean shot of just the trees with the correct exposure. To compensate, I denoised one of the original frames using Topaz Denoise and carefully combined it with the stacked sky in Photoshop.
Reflections and Future Adventures
This first astrophotography attempt was a steep learning curve. I wrestled with camera settings, wishing I could have experimented more with lower ISO values. The desire to capture more light frames was strong, but the approaching sunrise limited my shooting window. Despite the challenges, seeing the Milky Way come to life through my phone screen was an unforgettable experience. I'm grateful for the feedback received and eager to improve my techniques for future celestial explorations.
Stay tuned for more adventures under the stars!
