During the days of summer, I'm looking for night landscapes I can share with my son. I made a recording of him a few years ago standing in front of the Milky Way. I call it "My Son's Cosmic Address."
I've been lucky enough to share these adventures with him, and he doesn't seem to mind. Well, at least he's very patient with his old man. I've mentioned before that I try to plan these excursions around my work and his school schedule. He'll be 18 very soon, and I am a bit selfish with my time with him. Soon he'll be off on adventures of his own, and I'll be proud of him, of course. He has made me want to a better man, a better human. In the meantime, I look forward to our summers and adventures in the dark.
In August and September, the Core's visibility begins to shrink. On the other side, the Core rises earlier in the evening, and by the end of September, it slides beneath the horizon before midnight. Also, the Sunsets later in the evening, which provides an excellent opportunity for Sunset photos.
Special Note: The Perseids meteor shower is active from July 17th to August 24th. Peaks around August 11th -12th. I have a special love-hate relationship with Perseids meteors. Every time I have gone out to photograph the shower, the weather gods block my view without a fault. So if anyone knows of appeasement, I may supplicate myself with these gods of nature I'm all ears.
AUGUST:
In August, I tend to stick close to home for most of my captures. The capture times are shorter, and I have to work around the Hurricanes. Also, there is a lot of humidity in the air, affecting the night sky's clarity. The dates and times for August and September are local to Venice, FL. Although, If I have an opportunity to travel, I'd prefer to head towards Florida's Pan Handle. I've not photographed very much there, and I'm looking forward to discovering more of Florida's Pan Handle. If the weather gods smile in my favor, I'll use PhotoPills and Stellarium+ to make my adjustments accordingly.
The last four excursions in August are the backup of my backups. If the weather gods are angry with me, I'll have some opportunities from 11th to 15th, but with much shorter capture times. The shorter times are from a much brighter Moon. Plus, the Moon sets much later in the night.
August 4th/August 5th
August 4th - Sunset - 8:15 PM
Core Visibility - 9:41 PM to 3:17 AM
Capture Time - 9:41 PM to 3:17 AM
August 5th - Moonrise - 4:01 AM - Waxing Crescent
August 5th/August 6th
August 5th - Sunset - 8:16 PM
Core Visibility - 9:43 PM to 3:10 AM
Capture Time - 9:43 PM to 3:10 AM
August 6th - Moonrise - 4:52 AM - Waxing Crescent
August 6th/August 7th
August 5th - Sunset - 8:16 PM
Core Visibility - 9:42 PM to 3:07 AM
Capture Time - 9:42 PM to 3:07 AM
August 7th - Moonrise - 5:50 AM - Waxing Crescent
August 7th/August 8th
August 7th - Moonset - 8:03 PM - Waxing Crescent
August 7th - Sunset - 8:15 PM
Core Visibility - 9:41 PM to 3:03 AM
Capture Time - 9:41 PM to 3:03 AM
August 8th - New Moon
August 11th/August 12th
August 11th - Sunset - 8:12 PM
August 11th - Moonset - 10:33 PM - Waxing Crescent
Core Visibility - 9:37 PM to 2:47 AM
Capture Time - 10:45 PM to 2:47 AM
August 12th/August 13th
August 12th - Sunset - 8:11 PM
August 12th - Moonset - 11:07 PM - Waxing Crescent
Core Visibility - 9:35 PM to 2:47 AM
Capture Time - 11:15 PM to 2:47 AM
August 13th/August 14th
August 13th - Sunset - 8:10 PM
August 13th - Moonset - 11:42 PM - Waxing Crescent
Core Visibility - 9:34 PM to 2:39 AM
Capture Time - 11:45 PM to 2:39 AM
August 14th/August 15th
August 14th - Sunset - 8:09 PM
August 15th - Moonset - 12:20 AM - First Quarter
Core Visibility - 9:33 PM to 2:35 AM
Capture Time - 12:30 AM to 2:45 AM
SEPTEMBER:
With September rolling around, the New Moon falls on Labor Day. While most people plan long weekends with family and friends, I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with the night sky. September is also when I start planning for my Milky Way field trips for Johnson PhotoImaging. Some of these dates will be for those upcoming classes where I give hands-on instructions with settings and equipment. The Core's visibility begins a couple of hours after Sunset facing South and drifts over to the West. A great way to see it in heavily light-polluted areas along the West Coast of Florida. The trick with light pollution is not to shoot directly into it, so I take classes out to the beaches and shoot from there. If you'd like to learn more about any upcoming courses, visit the store's website. With the Sunset so close to the Core's visibility, why not get some shooting time with Golden and Blue Hours.
There are more dates for September because of my work schedule. I work from 5 to 6 days a week, usually until 6:30 PM. I now determine locations on my ability to scoot somewhere quickly after work. Living on the Gulf Coast of Florida gives me an excellent chance at arriving at a spot rapidly. The Core is so close to Sunset that there are no marathon sessions at night to recover from the next day.
September 1st/September 2nd
September 1st - Golden Hour - 7:19 PM
Sunset - 7:50 PM
Blue Hour - 8:04 PM
Core Visibility - 9:09 PM to 1:26 AM
Capture Time - 9:09 PM to 1:25 AM
September 2nd - Moonrise - 2:43 AM - Waning Crescent
September 2nd/September 3rd
September 2nd - Golden Hour - 7:18 PM
Sunset - 7:49 PM
Blue Hour - 8:03 PM
Core Visibility - 9:08 PM to 1:22 AM
Capture Time - 9:08 PM to 1:22 AM
September 3rd - Moonrise - 3:39 AM - Waning Crescent
September 3rd/September 4th
September 3rd - Golden Hour - 7:17 PM
Sunset - 7:48 PM
Blue Hour - 8:02 PM
Core Visibility - 9:08 PM to 1:18 AM
Capture Time - 9:08 PM to 1:18 AM
September 4th - Moonrise - 4:37 AM - Waning Crescent
September 4th/September 5th
September 4th - Golden Hour - 7:16 PM
Sunset - 7:47 PM
Blue Hour - 8:01 PM
Core Visibility - 9:06 PM to 1:14 AM
Capture Time - 9:06 PM to 1:14 AM
September 5th - Moonrise - 5:38 AM - Waning Crescent
September 5th/September 6th
September 5th - Golden Hour - 7:15 PM
Sunset - 7:45 PM
Blue Hour - 8:15 PM
Core Visibility - 9:04 PM to 1:14 AM
Capture Time - 9:04 PM to 1:14 AM
September 6th - New Moon
September 6th/September 7th - Labor Day
September 6th - Golden Hour - 7:13 PM
Sunset - 7:44 PM
Blue Hour - 7:59 PM
Core Visibility - 9:03 PM to 1:07 AM
Capture Time - 9:03 PM to 1:07 AM
September 7th - New Moon
September 27th
September 27th - Golden Hour - 6:49 PM
Sunset - 7:20 PM
Blue Hour - 7:35 PM
Core Visibility - 8:37 PM to 11:44 PM
Capture Time - 8:37 PM to 11:44 PM
September 27th - Moonrise 11:45 PM - Waning Gibbous
September 28th
September 28th - Golden Hour - 6:48 PM
Sunset - 7:19 PM
Blue Hour - 7:34 PM
Core Visibility - 8:36 PM to 11:40 PM
Capture Time - 8:36 PM to 11:40 PM
September 29th - Moonrise 12:32 AM - Waning Crescent
September 29th
September 28th - Golden Hour - 6:47 PM
Sunset - 7:18 PM
Blue Hour - 7:32 PM
Core Visibility - 8:35 PM to 11:36 PM
Capture Time - 8:35 PM to 11:36 PM
September 30th
September 28th - Golden Hour - 6:46 PM
Sunset - 7:17 PM
Blue Hour - 7:31 PM
Core Visibility - 8:34 PM to 11:32 PM
Capture Time - 8:34 PM to 11:32 PM
These four photos were captured in a single night traveling from Coquina Beach to Blackburn Point. The light pollution along the Gulf Coast is pretty bad. However, I'm facing away from it. The results aren't perfect, but you can get some decent results. Each exposure is identical - ISO 1600, f/2.8, and 15 seconds. Keep in mind that all the photos in this series are edited, removing light pollution. I'll explain more about that near the end of the series.
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