Photographing the night sky and the Milky Way: dark skies, settings and planning

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Photographing the Milky Way looks like specialist work, but a modern camera on a steady tripod can capture it with surprisingly little extra gear. The hard parts are finding a dark enough sky, picking the right night and getting the focus right in the dark. This guide covers the photography side; for simply seeing the night sky, the space room has a separate guide.

Find a dark sky

Light pollution is the biggest obstacle. The glow from towns washes out the faint band of the Milky Way long before it is visible to your eye.

Use a light pollution map to find areas well away from cities. Even a short drive further out can make a large difference.
Look for designated dark sky places. Several countries have parks and reserves recognised for low light pollution, often with visitor information for stargazers.
Check the horizon direction. A town glowing in the same direction as the part of the sky you want will spoil the shot even if the rest of the sky is dark.

Pick the right night

Avoid the Moon. A bright Moon lights up the sky and hides the Milky Way. The days around each new moon give the darkest skies, and nights when the Moon sets early or rises late also work.
Know the season. In the Northern Hemisphere, the bright central region of the Milky Way, the galactic core, is visible roughly from late winter to early autumn, with the longest viewing in late spring and summer. Early in the season it appears before dawn; later it is visible in the evening. In the Southern Hemisphere it rides higher in the sky and the season is longer.
Check the forecast for cloud, not just rain. Astronomy-focused forecasts also show transparency and humidity.
Use a planning app that shows where and when the Milky Way will rise over your chosen landscape. Many let you preview the sky in augmented reality on site.

Camera settings to start with

There is no single correct recipe, but these are common starting points with a wide lens:

Manual mode and raw files.
Widest aperture your lens allows, ideally f/2.8 or faster.
ISO around 3200 to 6400, depending on how well your camera handles noise.
Shutter speed short enough to keep stars as points. The Earth's rotation makes stars trail during long exposures, and the longer the focal length, the sooner it shows.

Two rules of thumb estimate the longest shutter speed:

The 500 rule: divide 500 by your focal length (multiplied by your crop factor). It is simple but often too generous on modern high-resolution sensors.
The NPF rule also accounts for aperture and pixel size, and usually gives a shorter, more accurate limit. Many planning apps calculate it for you.

Treat both as starting points, take a test shot and zoom in on the stars to check.

Focusing in the dark

Autofocus usually fails at night. Switch to manual focus, turn on live view, magnify a bright star or planet on the screen and adjust until it is as small and sharp as possible. Do not rely on the infinity mark on the lens; many lenses focus slightly past it. Once focused, a strip of tape stops the ring from moving.

Practical tips on location

Use a red torch to keep your night vision, and avoid shining lights at other photographers.
Turn down your screen brightness.
Use the self-timer or a remote so pressing the shutter does not cause blur.
Shoot a foreground at the same time, such as a tree, rock or building, to give scale.
Expect dew. Lenses can mist up as the night cools; a lens heater band or simply wiping carefully helps.
Bring warm layers. Clear nights are cold, even in summer.

Safety

Scout the location in daylight so you know the path and the edges. Tell someone where you are going, carry a charged phone and a spare torch, and respect private land and closing times. If you go with others, agree where everyone will stand so nobody walks through anyone else's frame with a light. Have you managed to photograph the Milky Way yet? Share your settings and where you shot it in the comments.