Post # 8, Autumn night skies

With autumn comes longer nights and shorter days.  In my experience, early fall has been a good time of year to take pictures at night.  The temperatures are cool, yes, but they soon will be too cold for comfort (for me).   The leaves will soon be gone from the trees, but for now a few have some nice fall colors.  If the moon is out, I'd encourage you to take a picture a tree with its fall color.  You may get some cool effects!  Or, if the moon is not out, try painting the landscape with a flashlight!

Something I haven't discussed much is the position of the stars and constellations in the night sky.  Orion is one constellation seen clearly during winter; usually in the southeast after sunset.  The Milky Way is best viewed during the summer: its brightest clouds are viewed near the constellation Sagittarius, which can be found in the south/southeast during the summer, and in the southwest during the fall.  Though the Milky Way is a bit dimmer now, you can still get a nice shot of our galaxy!

Here is a picture I took recently of the Milky Way: