A star tracker can be a handy tool for astrophotography, and I love using my Star Adventurer for widefield nightscapes. Due to the earth’s rotation, we see the stars move when we take long exposure shots of the night sky. How much they move across your frame depends on your focal length, camera resolution, and shutter speed. PhotoPills has a module called Spot Stars which can help you figure out how long you can shoot for to get accurate pinpoint stars or barely noticeable trails.
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Although I do night photography throughout the entire year, there are a few months of the year where the Milky Way core disappears below the horizon for all hours of darkness. Here in Southern Alberta, the start of March marks the start of Milky Way season, but it is brief. The core is only above the horizon for a short time before dawn. Spring is my favourite time to shoot the galaxy, and the core disappears again in November.
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Fall is approaching and the nights are becoming longer in the Canadian Rockies. The Milky Way core is still visible as soon as the sky becomes dark but is already setting and will be below the horizon within a short time. In November, the core will not be visible to us at night. Notable autumn constellations are best observed starting in late September. With the longer nights comes more opportunity to work on star trails. Here a few tips from local photographer Monika Deviat on how to prepare for your trip out for starry skies in the mountains.
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