My First Steps into Astrophotography: The Milky Way on a Rebel T7

As a longtime landscape photographer, I'd almost forgotten the potential hiding within my Canon Rebel T7. But with the recent new moon and the buzz about the visibility of the Milky Way, I decided it was time to dust off my camera and aim it towards the cosmos.

It's a thrilling experience to even attempt capturing such a grand sight. For this attempt, I used my trusty 18-55mm lens. The settings were a bit experimental, but I settled on an aperture of f3.5, ISO 3200, and a bulb exposure that I estimate was around a minute. This setting was chosen after trying a few different durations, hoping to minimize star trailing. It turns out, even at what I thought was a short exposure, stars can begin to show movement, but I managed to snag one shot that I was happy with, showcasing the core of our galaxy.

Here's the result:

I've been playing around with editing, but for now, this is the unedited glimpse into the night sky. The learning curve for astrophotography is steep, and I'm eager to dive deeper into processing techniques to bring out even more detail. Stay tuned for more celestial adventures!