M81 Media - The Adventure Series: Finding the Milky Way

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By Ryne Dickens January 6, 2017

“The Milky Way, the brilliant river of stars that has dominated the night sky and human imaginations since time immemorial, is but a faded memory to one-third of humanity and 80 percent of Americans, according to a new global atlas of light pollution produced by Italian and American scientists.”

“We’ve got whole generations of people in the United States who have never seen the Milky Way,” said Chris Elvidge, a scientist with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. “It’s a big part of our connection to the cosmos — and it’s been lost.”

(Good example of light pollution in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. at the Bull Run Battlefields)

“Light pollution is most extensive in countries like Singapore, Italy and South Korea, while Canada and Australia retain the most dark sky. In Western Europe, only small areas of night sky remain relatively undiminished, mainly in Scotland, Sweden and Norway. Despite the vast open spaces of the American west, almost half of the U.S. experiences light-polluted nights.” – Astronomy.com

This is the sad fact that we have to deal with in this day and time, that this many people around the globe can no longer see our galaxy. It truly is something that can take your breath away the first time you see it. So, any time I get the chance I go to the darkest places I know of and look up. I could sit for hours and watch and think about what I am looking at.

Astrophotography was one of the things I always wanted to do, and I had always hoped I could catch a shot of the Milky Way. It’s always fun to challenge myself and try new things when doing so. I have lots of ideas and I look forward to challenging myself with more star related photos in the darkness!

(Painted the trees with light from the tail lights and headlights of our car)

“More than 100,000 light years in diameter with more than 100 billion stars and at least as many planets, the Milky Way is arguably the most impressive feature of the night sky you can see with the naked eye.” – GrindTV

This year, I HIGHLY recommend going out and finding yourself a nice dark area and seeing it for yourself. When you do, think about the fact that you are one of the few people who can still see our galaxy. Relax and enjoy.

-RD

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