Waited 2 hours for a single shot of the Milky Way and got clouds rolling in 5 frames in

Drove 45 minutes out to a dark spot near Pine Grove last night, set everything up perfectly, and then a solid bank of fog ruined the whole stack. How do you guys decide when to just pack it up versus wait it out?

3 comments

3 Comments

sage_green1mo ago

Check your local weather radar right before you head out, not just the hourly forecast. I use a free app that shows real time cloud cover overlay and if I see a thin line of moisture moving in from the west, I know it's gonna be a waiting game. Fog usually rolls in from valleys first too, so if you're set up in a low spot that's your sign. When I'm out near Pine Grove I always scout higher ground as a backup spot just in case. Once that fog hits the lens there's no cleaning it off fast enough to save the shot.

kelly6381mo ago

Man I feel that fog fight on a personal level. @ray356 you're braver than me with the microfiber trick, I tried that once and just smeared the water around into a nice artistic blur effect like a toddler with fingerpaints. Maybe it's just me but I've learned the hard way that if the radar shows a moisture band rolling in, I'm better off packing up and grabbing breakfast instead of sitting there wiping my lens every 30 seconds like a lunatic.

ray3561mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? I mean yeah fog sucks but I've spent plenty of mornings out where the forecast said clear and I still got stuck with a wet lens. You can wipe it off quick with a microfiber cloth and keep shooting most of the time. Seems like a lot of prep for something that might not even happen most days.