Yes, on a moonless night in a dark sky site. You won’t necessarily see vivid colors but you’ll see the same structures, albeit fainter because this is a long exposure.
Not likely you’ll be able to see it very vividly when there’s skyglow from nearby cities, though. Hence, look for dark sky sites. National parks with wide open spaces are generally great for this, like Joshua Tree or Grand Canyon, as long as no one’s driving past.
Lumpy_Ad7002 on
You’ll get close in a really dry location far from city lights. Death Valley, for example. But human eyes just aren’t that sensitive to really low light levels
virtual_human on
I’ve only seen the Milky Way once in my life, halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
ang_mo_uncle on
Yes, though not in this fidelity and color.
You want
– cloudless skies
– clean air
– low humidity
– high altitude
– as little civilization close by as possible (or at least that they turn of exterior lights at night)
– no major urban areas close by BC light pollution.
There’s a few OKish ones in Europe, the US has quite a few good ones. Grand Canyon is one decent option considering thst there’s other things to do there as well 😛
denta87 on
I was on top of Haleakalā at 3am with no moon a few weeks back and you could see the Milky Way, nothing as colorful as this though. There is an observatory in the summit which is one of the few places with little to no light pollution.
podank99 on
i have been to a perfect night in certified dark sky at the mcdonald observatory. the only question i have is that i think i may not have been facing the galactic core direction, but i could make out the shapes of the dust clouds pictured here and it was amazing. i dont think you would see this color with naked eye but you can definitely see it. even so, its faint and almost more visible in your periphery sometimes
indomitablescot on
Come out to Utah we have a lot of places to see that kind of view. Can’t guarantee that star density with the naked eye but close to it.
belchhuggins on
I saw it when I was camping at the Alps about 2000m above the sea level
PlaguesAngel on
Considering this is a composite & layered picture with long exposure edited in a software suite; like this, that is a no.
Almighty_Horse on
Yes.
My family and I used to go to a very small town on holiday, far away from any big city. One night there was a blackout and the whole town went completely dark. There were no clouds in the sky and no moon, and the view of the sky was absolutely breathtaking.
glootech on
You can see a lot of the structure of the Milky Way on a moonless night, after getting your eyes accustomed to the darkness for around 30 minutes. However you won’t be able to see the colors: there’s only 6 million cones in your eye (vs 100-120 million rods) and there’s just not enough light to make you see them.
redroowa on
Western Australia, no problem. You wont get the colours, but you can see the milky way no problem.
Hutchicles on
Beaches, mountains, open fields….pretty much anywhere there isn’t a lot of light pollution, you can see the milky way this pic is fully layered, so it won’t look like this, but you can see it
Ok-Communication1149 on
The Missouri river break in northeastern Montana offers pretty close to that on a cold clear night
waffler71 on
Not that vividly, but my dad and I would see something similar when we would go deer hunting in the remote mountains of Idaho when I was growing up. Never brought a tent, we would put hammocks up between trees and usually go sit on top of a ridge and talk while looking for satellites and stuff. Now I live in Florida and barely see stars 😂
ZealousidealTotal120 on
It’s pretty amazing at the top of Mauna Kea, but i don’t think you can get that sort of view with human eyes.
Kobethegoat420 on
Saw it look very similar to this in the middle of the Everglades in Florida. Never saw it like that again in my life
1pencil on
Yes, middle of cold winter nights when the air is clear and dry, up in northern Canada.
Can see it like that from my own back yard.
SickestGuy on
There should be a map in which pin points location areas where this can be seen.
Where is this project?
boilerdam on
No
Ton of caveats but like that picture, never
wheresmymacncheese on
you can see the milky way at Big Bend National park in texas. Stunning!
Makhnos_Tachanka on
Yes, about 70% of the earth. The big wet part.
Intelligent-Invite79 on
I’ve heard big bend can have some amazing night skies.
yaboiiiuhhhh on
I’m trying to get to the deep eastern Oregon desert
AGuyInTheOZone on
No, a lot of people have too much light pollution
kullwarrior on
My assumption is the picture was taken under long exposure.
Different_State4375 on
Go up to the grand Tetons. I was able to clearly see the Milky Way.
Correct_Path5888 on
I took some mushrooms up on Max Patch once and you could see the milky way. Looked a lot like this, but slightly less vivid.
LightBackground9141 on
Wasn’t like this but when I was out on a mountain in the south of France, I’d never seen a sky like it at night. Amazing with no street or city lights.
goonie284 on
I use the Dark Sky Map website to find any low light pollution areas. I spent some time in the mid west around Utah and Colorado and after 30min of your eyes adjusting you can see pretty close to this.
I’ve seen it on a summer night on Sucia Island in Washington State. Just about the most magical place in the world to me.
WWPLD on
Souther Utah and Arizona, away from city lights.
CourtClarkMusic on
Yes. Away from city lights or up in the mountains or out in the desert. The Milky Way will be visible with the naked eye and countless stars you wouldn’t see otherwise.
whatevers_cleaver_ on
From the top of Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii, it’s like that or better on a moonless night.
thefooleryoftom on
Essentially, no. It doesn’t look exactly like that because photos like this use longer exposures and stacking that our eyes and brain cannot possibly process.
What it actually looks like is a dimmer, colourless version. You can still see the dust and the shapes, but the main impression is it’s fucking huge. It arcs across the sky and is so fucking majestic. It’s jawdropping.
There’s online maps that show you dark sky areas. Pick the best one near you
35 Comments
Yes, on a moonless night in a dark sky site. You won’t necessarily see vivid colors but you’ll see the same structures, albeit fainter because this is a long exposure.
Not likely you’ll be able to see it very vividly when there’s skyglow from nearby cities, though. Hence, look for dark sky sites. National parks with wide open spaces are generally great for this, like Joshua Tree or Grand Canyon, as long as no one’s driving past.
You’ll get close in a really dry location far from city lights. Death Valley, for example. But human eyes just aren’t that sensitive to really low light levels
I’ve only seen the Milky Way once in my life, halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Yes, though not in this fidelity and color.
You want
– cloudless skies
– clean air
– low humidity
– high altitude
– as little civilization close by as possible (or at least that they turn of exterior lights at night)
– no major urban areas close by BC light pollution.
There’s a few OKish ones in Europe, the US has quite a few good ones. Grand Canyon is one decent option considering thst there’s other things to do there as well 😛
I was on top of Haleakalā at 3am with no moon a few weeks back and you could see the Milky Way, nothing as colorful as this though. There is an observatory in the summit which is one of the few places with little to no light pollution.
i have been to a perfect night in certified dark sky at the mcdonald observatory. the only question i have is that i think i may not have been facing the galactic core direction, but i could make out the shapes of the dust clouds pictured here and it was amazing. i dont think you would see this color with naked eye but you can definitely see it. even so, its faint and almost more visible in your periphery sometimes
Come out to Utah we have a lot of places to see that kind of view. Can’t guarantee that star density with the naked eye but close to it.
I saw it when I was camping at the Alps about 2000m above the sea level
Considering this is a composite & layered picture with long exposure edited in a software suite; like this, that is a no.
Yes.
My family and I used to go to a very small town on holiday, far away from any big city. One night there was a blackout and the whole town went completely dark. There were no clouds in the sky and no moon, and the view of the sky was absolutely breathtaking.
You can see a lot of the structure of the Milky Way on a moonless night, after getting your eyes accustomed to the darkness for around 30 minutes. However you won’t be able to see the colors: there’s only 6 million cones in your eye (vs 100-120 million rods) and there’s just not enough light to make you see them.
Western Australia, no problem. You wont get the colours, but you can see the milky way no problem.
Beaches, mountains, open fields….pretty much anywhere there isn’t a lot of light pollution, you can see the milky way this pic is fully layered, so it won’t look like this, but you can see it
The Missouri river break in northeastern Montana offers pretty close to that on a cold clear night
Not that vividly, but my dad and I would see something similar when we would go deer hunting in the remote mountains of Idaho when I was growing up. Never brought a tent, we would put hammocks up between trees and usually go sit on top of a ridge and talk while looking for satellites and stuff. Now I live in Florida and barely see stars 😂
It’s pretty amazing at the top of Mauna Kea, but i don’t think you can get that sort of view with human eyes.
Saw it look very similar to this in the middle of the Everglades in Florida. Never saw it like that again in my life
Yes, middle of cold winter nights when the air is clear and dry, up in northern Canada.
Can see it like that from my own back yard.
There should be a map in which pin points location areas where this can be seen.
Where is this project?
No
Ton of caveats but like that picture, never
you can see the milky way at Big Bend National park in texas. Stunning!
Yes, about 70% of the earth. The big wet part.
I’ve heard big bend can have some amazing night skies.
I’m trying to get to the deep eastern Oregon desert
No, a lot of people have too much light pollution
My assumption is the picture was taken under long exposure.
Go up to the grand Tetons. I was able to clearly see the Milky Way.
I took some mushrooms up on Max Patch once and you could see the milky way. Looked a lot like this, but slightly less vivid.
Wasn’t like this but when I was out on a mountain in the south of France, I’d never seen a sky like it at night. Amazing with no street or city lights.
I use the Dark Sky Map website to find any low light pollution areas. I spent some time in the mid west around Utah and Colorado and after 30min of your eyes adjusting you can see pretty close to this.
https://www.darkskymap.com/nightSkyBrightness
I’ve seen it on a summer night on Sucia Island in Washington State. Just about the most magical place in the world to me.
Souther Utah and Arizona, away from city lights.
Yes. Away from city lights or up in the mountains or out in the desert. The Milky Way will be visible with the naked eye and countless stars you wouldn’t see otherwise.
From the top of Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii, it’s like that or better on a moonless night.
Essentially, no. It doesn’t look exactly like that because photos like this use longer exposures and stacking that our eyes and brain cannot possibly process.
What it actually looks like is a dimmer, colourless version. You can still see the dust and the shapes, but the main impression is it’s fucking huge. It arcs across the sky and is so fucking majestic. It’s jawdropping.
There’s online maps that show you dark sky areas. Pick the best one near you