The Milky Way at Folkestone.

[Felias]

There was such a clear sky on Friday that I decided to drive South to capture the Milky Way over the Channel with my new Samyang 16 mm f/2 lens. I thought it would be nice to enjoy a little trek over the cliffs with just a tripod and the camera, forget about the EQ mount and all the heavy equipment. It was lovely, of course, but right after sunset and once I had framed the Milky Way, clouds rolled in fast from the North, getting in front before I could even press the shutter. 😡

I tried nonetheless, but I had to discard 80% of the pictures. The following are what I think is usable, though far from the quality I expected:

A stack of 24 lights, 10 seconds each, f/2.0 ISO 1600. Flats and darks, processed in Sequator and Lightroom/PS. That's Folkestone in the foreground, and the bright light in the horizon is Dungeness nuclear power plant. Needless to say, there is plenty of light pollution even by the sea.

Then I shifted my camera to the right and tried to do the same, but it was too cloudy and the stack was a mess, so this is a single photo, again f/2, 10s, ISO 1600. There's not much of the Milky Way visible, but I love that I could capture the lighthouse and a passing train in the same picture. It was lonely at the cliffs, and the lit-up trains running empty near the sea made me feel like I was intruding in Chihiro's journey in "Spirited away". I'm glad I'll keep this picture to remember the moment. I intend to return when the weather gets better, though.

Finally, although I could only use one of the 64 lights I took along with the last photo, I though that the train was perfect for a time lapse video. It's very short, but there you are:

[FenlandPaul]

Nice shots and well worth the visit.  The trails from the train are great!

[Felias]

12 hours ago, FenlandPaul said:

The trails from the train are great!

Guess it was a "Night in the Galactic Railroad"... ⭐🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃⭐

[Dann]

Very nice, is that up in Capel le Ferne on top of the cliffs? 

 

I live in Folkestone and have family in Capel, keep meaning to try the Milky Way from up there.

 

[Felias]

2 hours ago, Dann said:

Very nice, is that up in Capel le Ferne on top of the cliffs? 

 

I live in Folkestone and have family in Capel, keep meaning to try the Milky Way from up there.

 

Thank you! Yes, it's the Capel. Not quite the top, though; it was too windy, so I had to find a spot where I had a bit of cover for the tripod. Next time, I hope...