My whole plan for the Orion Nebula got wrecked by a streetlight

Last week I drove an hour out to this dark sky spot in the Arizona desert, set up my camera, and got everything focused. Right as I started a 3-minute exposure, a huge new streetlight on the nearby road flickered on. It washed out the whole shot, just a big orange blob. I packed up after two more tries because the light never went off. Has anyone else had a good spot ruined like that, and what did you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thomas3mo ago

I had a spot get ruined by a new parking lot light last year. What saved me was using a tall portable windbreak as a light shield, just a cheap one from a camping store. It blocked the direct glare enough to finish my session.

hill.david1mo ago

@the_thomas makes a good point with that windbreak idea, though I'm not sure a portable shield would help much with a whole streetlight. That thing is up high and throwing light everywhere, a little camping shield might just block what's right in front of you. Maybe try a different time of night when the light might be off, or see if that road has a dead end without any lights.

wendy_ross713mo ago

Wait, a brand new streetlight just appeared out there? That's the worst kind of surprise, like they're actively hunting our dark spots. I'd be so mad driving all that way for nothing. Maybe you can scout a different pull-off further down that road.