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JPritch
05-10-2018, 12:32
Are there any spots on the AT with decent visibility of the Milky Way, or is the East Coast corridor just too light polluted? Can't say I've ever seen it on the nights I've been out so far, but I wasn't really looking either.

tdoczi
05-10-2018, 12:41
i'm so ignorant of astronomy that my first thought in response to your question is to say "arent most of the stars you see in the sky part of the milky way?"

so specifically, i dont have an answer.

but, i can say if you want to see a whole lot of stars in the sky the place to do it along the AT is in Maine

JPritch
05-10-2018, 12:44
I'm referring to the "core" of the galaxy I think it's referred to. Looks like a bright tube of stars in the sky. My first night in the Sierra, the whole sky was lit up, it was jaw-dropping.

soumodeler
05-10-2018, 13:04
Dark Site Finder is a great resource: http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html

With just a quick glance, Katahdin/Baxter SP looks like your best bet.

HooKooDooKu
05-10-2018, 13:15
When someone speaks of the visibility of "the Milky Way", they are talking about seeing the faint background light from the bulk of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
When it comes to seeing individual stars, we can only see individual stars that are near our solar system in the galaxy. But you have to remember that our location in the galaxy is far out on an arm of the galaxy. When the sky is dark enough (i.e. void of light pollution), you can see a white haze in the sky that is caused by the sum total light from the billions of stars too far away for us to see. It has a milky color to it, hence the name "Milky Way" for our galaxy.

There should be plenty of places where you're far enough from city lights to be able to the Milky Way... but for sure, in the Great Smoky Mountains, anywhere along the AT ridge where you can get a clear view of the night sky, you should be able to easily spot the Milky Way. At most shelters, there's enough trees cleared out of the way you should be able to see it.

BTW: If you google for images of the Milky Way, the pictures you see will be the results of what happens when photographic equipment picks up a cumulative light over a period of time. When you see it in person, it will NOT look a thing like ANY of the photographs you will find.


Edit: Ok, I take that back. Here's an image I could find online (https://www.pixcove.com/milky-way-interplanetary-universe-cosmos-space-night-sky-starry-sky-background-astronomy-night-contextual-star/) this somewhat shows what you will see. However, the difference is that when you see it in person, you'll be able to see across the entire sky, not just one spot... and what you will see is this milky color in areas along a band in the sky.

MuddyWaters
05-10-2018, 13:32
BTW: If you google for images of the Milky Way, the pictures you see will be the results of what happens when photographic equipment picks up a cumulative light over a period of time. When you see it in person, it will NOT look a thing like ANY of the photographs you will find.


Edit: Ok, I take that back. Here's an image I could find online (https://www.pixcove.com/milky-way-interplanetary-universe-cosmos-space-night-sky-starry-sky-background-astronomy-night-contextual-star/) this somewhat shows what you will see. However, the difference is that when you see it in person, you'll be able to see across the entire sky, not just one spot... and what you will see is this milky color in areas along a band in the sky.

I went to some talks by amateur astronomers at an observatory before. I found it quite interesting how they take the deep space pictures. A local guy did a lot of that kind of thing. Basically using like a computer web cam, and taking millions of photos over a several week period, and overlapping them with software.

Just with binoculars you can see nebulas and dust clouds and things and it's quite fascinating really. And you can build a better telescope for cheap, than you can buy. Google dobsonian telescope.

Just looking up in the sky you can actually see satellites and space junk crossing the sky all the time with your Naked Eyes if you know what you're looking for. Look for something moving a lot faster than an airplane Horizon to Horizon. Some group publishes charts of what you can see in the night sky from what location all the time.

FrogLevel
05-10-2018, 13:51
I've seen the milky way many times near the Hampton Tennessee section. Specifically if you take the Lacy Trap side trail down White Rocks Mountain to Frog Level. Its very dark there.

LittleRock
05-10-2018, 14:29
I've only seen it once on all my section hikes through the southern states, in Grayson Highlands.

illabelle
05-10-2018, 14:39
I did a good chunk of my growing up in Oklahoma. Often I would sleep outside on a cot with a constellation map and study the night sky. Astronomy, Star Trek, etc. The Milky Way was easy to see, easiest on a dark night with no moon. And because the trees and topography in Oklahoma don't obstruct the view like they do in TN, the sky was big and the Milky Way was big.

Here in Tennessee, I live far enough out in the sticks that it seems unlikely that town lights would affect my view of the sky. I don't see the Milky Way much, but I suspect it's more closely related to the humidity/clouds/fog and obstructions than to light pollution.

----------------------------------
Did a little googling to learn more. According to this website, even towns 25 miles away can significantly affect your view of the night sky. And yes, humidity is a factor as well.

https://improvephotography.com/38555/ultimate-guide-planning-milky-way-photography/

TNhiker
05-10-2018, 15:08
clingmans dome...........max patch............little and big humps...........

peakbagger
05-10-2018, 15:56
Plenty of spots in NW Maine. Russell Pond Wassataquoik Lake, Nesowadnehunk Field and South Branch Ponds at BSP are all hard to beat.

The whites are surrounded by small towns so there is some light pollution. The Wild River or Pemi wildernesses are all shielded by mountains.

BuckeyeBill
05-10-2018, 16:27
Can't say if I was seeing the Milky Way when I was on the PCT in Southern California, but I can say that the night skies were beautiful. I was also in Alaska and the Northern Lights made it worth the entire trip worth it.

bigcranky
05-10-2018, 16:41
Plenty of places in the South are far enough from city lights for a good view of the Milky Way. The moon phase is more important much of the time. We get good views at Grayson Highlands pretty regularly. Here's an okay photo from the ridge line summit of Stone Mountain, just south of Scales.

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=52740&catid=member&imageuser=266

Southeast
05-10-2018, 17:01
Grayson Highlands come to mind.

JPritch
05-10-2018, 17:05
Good to hear a few responses about seeing it at Grayson Highlands as I'm headed there this weekend! Might be justification enough to bring my camera along with me so I can take a few long exposure shots!

johnacraft
05-10-2018, 18:53
Good to hear a few responses about seeing it at Grayson Highlands as I'm headed there this weekend! Might be justification enough to bring my camera along with me so I can take a few long exposure shots!

This time of year, best viewing is pre-dawn. On Sunday morning the moon will rise at 5:28am, so 4am - 5am is probably a good window. Find a viewing location with a good view to the southwest.

gpburdelljr
05-10-2018, 19:54
You need a combination of a dark area (several places have been mentioned), a really clear night, and no moon (a new moon, before the moon rises, or after the moon sets).

Shooting Star
05-10-2018, 20:33
I'm also a hobby astronomer and the Grayson Highlands is outstanding on a clear, dry night.
In the summer you get a great Milky Way view with almost 3-d marble texture in what you see.
Any of the central Virginia trail sections up to Front Royal that are 30 miles from a sizable city
should have good night skies.

Shooting Star
05-10-2018, 20:52
And as others have mentioned, the moon needs to be out of the way. A 1 or 2 day crescent moon still allows
a decent Milky Way view but a fuller moon than that really washes out faint stuff in the night sky. The summer
Milky Way is more prominent because at night we're looking inward toward the core of our galaxy and we're
seeing a lot more stars. During winter, at night, we're looking away from the galactic core and the Milky Way
that we see is just the outer section of our spiral arm - a lot fewer stars to see.

All the stars you see in the night sky are in our galaxy and any of the stars that you can individually
resolve with the naked eye are in our end of the galaxy. Interestingly enough, you can also see 2 or 3
galaxies naked eye if you know where to look and are out in the countryside. The easy one is the Andromeda
galaxy up in the constellation of the same name. Under dark skies, you'll see a distinct glow about a quarter
of the size of a full moon. We're colliding with this galaxy in several billion years. Can you imagine the night
sky in the distant future with another galaxy dominating the night sky?

TexasBob
05-10-2018, 21:41
The easiest time to see the milky way is in the summer because it is near the zenith for a large part of the night. If you know what you're looking for it can even be seen in suburban areas on clear moonless nights. Just about anywhere in Shenandoah NP would be a great place to see the milky way. Really almost all the way to Harper's Ferry would work. The darker the sky the more spectacular it will be. In fact in a really dark sky location you might have a problem recognizing the familiar constellations because there will be so many more stars visible than you are used to seeing. Here is a photo I took of Comet Hyatutake with an SLR camera on a tripod from Great Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. The dark skies and altitude make it a really nice place for astronomy.
42661

waywardfool
05-10-2018, 21:49
Here's another neat thing up in the sky....the ISS. The following site (NASA) has an email list (sign up link to right). You can get an alert when ever the ISS is going to go over your area. Visible with naked eye. Email gives time, direction, etc info.

Grampie
05-10-2018, 22:01
During my thru I was able to get great views of the stars and the Milkey Way. These views were all second best until I viewed the night sky from Madison Hut on the slope of Mt. Washington. By far the best view of our night sky?

Rain Man
05-10-2018, 22:37
Saw the Milky Way from the Bigelows in Maine last year.

HooKooDooKu
05-11-2018, 00:06
We're colliding with this galaxy in several billion years. Can you imagine the night
sky in the distant future with another galaxy dominating the night sky?
Given that we're already IN the Milky Way, and the Milky Way doesn't "dominate" the night sky, why would another galaxy joining in dominate anything...

But what I really find interesting is that galaxies contain so much empty space, that when Andromeda and the Milky Way "collide", none of the stars are likely to crash into one another.

Leo L.
05-11-2018, 03:17
Get one of the Apps like Starfinder or Skyview etc., gives lots of fun to find the more prominent planets and stars, and manmade objects like the ISS (which is the brightest item on the nightsky, aside of the moon).
Be aware that the app will eat up battery life.

To detect the Milky Way in nature you should have an unobstructed view of a big portion of the sky, and of course as little light pollution as possible (and no moon, btw.).

LittleRock
05-11-2018, 09:03
Good to hear a few responses about seeing it at Grayson Highlands as I'm headed there this weekend! Might be justification enough to bring my camera along with me so I can take a few long exposure shots!
Good timing - looks like mostly clear skies and closing in on a new moon this weekend.

Shrewd
05-11-2018, 10:32
By far my best night skies were in maine

grizzlyadam
05-13-2018, 07:32
I captured this image in the Grayson Highlands a couple of years ago. The rhododendron were in full bloom so it was a pretty magical trip all around.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180513/de753ab04c468635091e3fcb3419df57.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

atraildreamer
05-13-2018, 09:23
Stratton Mountain, Vermont
--------------

Latest estimates:

100 billion stars, minimum, per galaxy. (100,000,000,000) :sun

2 trillion galaxies X 100 billion stars, (200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)

These numbers are really awe inspiring :eek: and probably will be revised upward in the future.
--------------

" He is counting the number of the stars;

All of them he calls by their names."

-- Psalm 147:4

Crushed Grapes
05-14-2018, 21:36
I captured this image in the Grayson Highlands a couple of years ago. The rhododendron were in full bloom so it was a pretty magical trip all around.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180513/de753ab04c468635091e3fcb3419df57.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fantastic shot! Good to see I'm not the only one that hikes with a tripod :)

ADK Walker
05-14-2018, 22:23
I spent three weeks on the trail in Virginia back in 1997 when the Hale Bopp comet was visible overhead. Magical nights.

ADK Walker
05-14-2018, 22:25
Here's another neat thing up in the sky....the ISS. The following site (NASA) has an email list (sign up link to right). You can get an alert when ever the ISS is going to go over your area. Visible with naked eye. Email gives time, direction, etc info.

I use the app called ISS Spotter. Love seeing that thing fly over.

Miner
05-14-2018, 23:11
Crushed Grapes that is a good shot. After seeing that one, I'm going to have to start bringing a fast wide angle lens with me on future AT sections. Didn't bother when I did the most northern 600 miles and regret it now. Though I've often have gotten some pretty good shots of the nightsky out here in California including places along the PCT. Never really thought about trying back east due to the light pollution in many places.

colorado_rob
05-15-2018, 07:34
I use the app called ISS Spotter. Love seeing that thing fly over.


Here's another neat thing up in the sky....the ISS. The following site (NASA) has an email list (sign up link to right). You can get an alert when ever the ISS is going to go over your area. Visible with naked eye. Email gives time, direction, etc info.

+1 on the ISS thing.... my wife and I caught the ISS flying over our heads last year, backpacking in Canyonlands NP.. What a cool little surprise and experience. Hard to believe how bright that thing can be, looks downright alien.

Uncle Walkie
05-15-2018, 08:22
If I see a Milky Way on the trail it doesn’t stand a chance...I prefer Snickers but am not that picky
;-p