How to photograph the Milky Way

Kuala Kubu Baru is the nearest place to Kuala Lumpur to see and photograph the Milky Way.

• Photographing the Milky Way is not as difficult as it seems. It can be done with a DSLR camera or some newer handphones.

• Dark places where light pollution is minimal are the best locations.

• The Milky Way can be seen on a clear night from mid-February until mid-October in the southwest direction of the sky.

• A wide-angle lens, between 10mm and 16mm, is needed to photograph this galaxy.

• Generally, the photo is taken on a sturdy tripod at ISO3200, f2.8 and 25 seconds. One can also use f3.5 or f4 to capture the Milky Way, depending on the sky’s brightness at the shooting location.

• The preferred shot is to line up the stars across the sky, stretching them from left to right and displaying the galactic core or “eye” in the middle.