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An beautiful clear autumn evening in mid-September found me yomping up my local hill, Moel Famau, the highest peak in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), North Wales.
With a couple of hours' free time to play with it was a no-brainer for me to head for the hills, away from the local towns with their attendant light pollution, in order to take in and photograph the stunning night skies.
But with a full moon due to rise at 9pm I had to get a move on to take advantage of the small window of time in between the end of nautical twilight at 8.45pm and the arrival of the moon, which would effectively flood the night sky with light and wash out the fainter stars of the milky way.
I arrived, sweaty and breathless on the summit of Moel Famau bang on moonrise at 9pm and then rushed to set up my camera and tripod to get some pictures of the milky way arching over the ruined stump of the Jubilee Tower, probably the most recognised landmark for miles around.
This is the first of the images I managed to capture, and was taken at 9.05pm, before the moon had a chance to make its presence felt.
But even so there was a fair old glow of yellow light pollution from the built up areas to the east of my position, including Chester, the Wirral and Liverpool.
But I quite like the effect that a small amount of light pollution gives, adding a yellow / blue colour gradient to the night sky which I find quite engaging.
Moel Famau Sunset Timelapse #1
Moel Famau Sunset Timelapse #2
Moel Famau Sunset Timelapse #1
Filename - moel famau milky way 02
Lens - 14mm prime
Exposure - 15 secs @ f2.8, ISO6400
Filters - None.
Location - Moel Famau, Clwydian Range, North Wales
Image enhancements - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - Tripod, remote release and mirror lockup used to prevent camera movement.
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