Dark Sky Utah

04/19/2026

When can you ACTUALLY see the Milky Way?

The first step in astrophotography is knowing when to drive to a night sky location with your camera. If you want to photograph the Milky Way Core, you need to know when it will be in the night sky. Learn when the Milky Way Season is for the Northern Hemisphere.

Want night sky updates delievered to your inbox so you know when the Milky Way will be visible? Comment DIGEST and I’ll sen you the link.

04/18/2026

The springtime Milky Way rising over the Goblin Valley Campground Amphitheater. 

The image of the stars was taken from a small hill east of the state park campsite. The foreground image of the hoodoo was taken on the north end of the campground the following evening.

The stars are a long exposure image of 513 seconds! Normally a picture with that long of a shutter speed would give stars that were little lines instead of dots. A method called tracking can be used to allow us to take images for longer times without getting star trailing. 

The tracker keeps the camera pointed at the stars by turning slowly against the rotation of the earth.

Foreground- Canon 6D 1/250 sec at f /10 ISO 400 at 28mm on the Canon EF28-135mm f-3.5-5.6 IS USM lens.
I tracked the stars for this image using the iOptron SkyTracker Pro.
Canon 6D 513.0 sec at f/ 3.2 ISO 800 on the Rokinon 14mm lens.

These images are not from the same lens. I enlarged the star image in Photoshop to make them proportional and the Milky Way the correct size. The Photopills app was used on-site to determine the accurate placement of the Milky Way Core.

04/15/2026

Resilience—I am always amazed by a tree’s ability to grow on a rock. I find equal amazement when observing people’s resilience.

Ironically, this tree escaped my notice in daylight, but while standing under it, taking a panorama, I noticed the tree silhouetted against the starry sky. I realized the Milky Way would soon be behind the tree and set up my other camera to capture the two together. 

My favorite part of having a second camera is my ability to find and capture more compositions while my primary camera is busy.

I’m Carly, a Milky Way photographer and educator. Follow me for more tips on when and how to capture the Milky Way. In my free newsletter, I share more in depth photography tips and night sky highlights, comment DIGEST, and I’ll send you the link to join.

Taken on May 04, 2024, in Arches National Park, Moab, Utah

Canon EOS 80D 13.0 sec f/3.2 ISO 3200 on the Rokinon 24 mm f/1.4 lens

04/10/2026

“Wake up, you’re missing the prettiest part of the day.” - my grandad

I stayed up and watched the sunrise the morning I took this picture, to remind myself that even though he was taken from us all those years ago, a part of him lives on in his posterity.

Even this night owl granddaughter, who usually only sees sunrises by staying up all night. Every time I pick up a camera, I try to honor the man who is now remembered through family stories and the images he left behind.


Eleven images stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker to reduce noise.
Canon 6D 20.0 sec at f/3.2 ISO 4000 on the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens

04/08/2026

Diamond ring through the clouds. Total solar eclipse April 8, 2024. What an amazing experience to see totality again. Pictures and words just don’t do it justice. Even better to share the event with some members of my extended family.

We had mostly clear skies for totality, but the clouds were always present. A constant haze made it hard to really dial in my focus. I thought this image really captured the history of this eclipse.

Canon 80D 1/4000 second f/8 ISO 3200 with the Canon EF70-300mm f-4-5.6 IS II USM lens.

Image tracked with the iOptron SkyTracker Pro

04/05/2026

In times of turmoil and trouble, we may recite the old Brenton prayer, “O God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

But on this Easter Sunday, let us remember that hope is the overarching message of Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Holi, and other spring holidays. 

The night sky always brings me peace, connection, and hope. Even the heaviest burdens feel lighter when we commune with our higher power through nature. Please take a quiet moment to enjoy the beauty of our world or the night sky this weekend, and choose to hope. May your best days be yet to come.

Canon 6D 30.0 sec at f/4.0 ISO 6400 on the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens

04/01/2026

A lot is happening in the April night sky, but most people will miss it. Learn the best astronomy events and how to photograph them.

A lot is happening in the April night sky, but most people will miss it. Learn the best astronomy events and how to photograph them.April is Milky Way Seaso...