Milky Way Photography, Meteor Photography & Timelapses from light polluted areas

Nirmal, Telangana, India

When you think of photographing the Milky Way, you usually think of doing it from a dark location away from light pollution but given the way modern cities have expanded it isn’t always possible to find a dark location close to any major city especially in India. There is no substitute for a truly dark sky, but I knew it was possible to photograph the Milky Way through light pollution provided one went far enough away from the capital city of Hyderabad. Hyderabad itself is a Bortle 8-9 sky as you can see in the light pollution map below but that’s not the end - South India itself is very limited in terms of dark skies. Read more about the Bortle Scale.

In the last week of February 2025, in collaboration with HyTiCos, I had the opportunity to explore some areas in Telangana which could be leveraged as dark skies for star gazing and astro photography. The first location we finally agreed on is near the town of Nirmal - a Bortle 4 sky with some degree of light pollution. This was a reconnaissance trip to gauge the potential as a star gazing and astrophotography site where interested people can be taken for a couple of nights of camping under the stars and introduced to the glory of our magnificent night skies.

This location in the district of Nirmal has spectacular naked eye visibility of some of the major constellations and star clusters as you can see in the timelapse. At about 18 minutes past midnight we were also blessed by a brilliant meteor which lit up the sky for a split second. It was captured on a single frame of my timelapse and I have included that in this video. The sky was brightened for that split second by the light from the falling meteor.

Coincidentally it was a waning crescent Moon at 4% and less which made the conditions irresistible.

Generally speaking, the best time to see the Milky Way in the Northern Hemisphere is during the Milky Way season - usually between February and October - ideally between 00:00 hrs and 05:00 hrs, preferably on new moon nights. This, however, will vary depending on the latitude, and other factors like the moon phase, prevalent cloud cover and the intrusive presence of light pollution. The position of the Milky Way in the sky is also another important factor to consider and this changes depending on the location.

Just as winter ends and spring begins the Milky Way's core, or the brightest part of our galaxy, becomes visible in the early morning sky, rising in the southeast and moving south - which is the time of this timelapse - reaching peak visibility in the middle of summer. At the beginning of this timelapse, facing south, the outer arm of the Milky Way can be observed setting. Here we are facing away from the galactic center in Sagittarius and instead looking outward. Stars thin out across the galaxy's flattened disk until our gaze meets the abyss of intergalactic space. This section isn't particularly wide, but is strewn with bright stars and chock-a-block with clumpy star clouds, dark nebulae, and well-known naked-eye gems.

As night progresses the stunning Core rises around 3am at this time of the year and at this location. This is also the time when, as the core rises, the Milky Way runs almost parallel to the horizon and I was hoping to get a shot of the entire Milky Way but unfortunately the light pollution did not permit. I have intentionally included - in frame - the light source from a building in the distance as an illustration of how much impact a single LED light source can make on the night sky and its colours. As the sun rises towards the end of the timelapse, the intensity of this light also fades as the sun takes over and we get to realise what it appears to the human eye vs what it does to the night sky. Also note the glow on the left which is from a couple of villages in the near vicinity.

Light pollution has a devastating impact not just on the night sky but on nature as well. As the human population explodes & town and cities grow, light pollution is growing at an alarming rate & is largely going unchecked. Not only is this luminous fog drowning out the stars and our view to the rest of the universe, but it also causes disruptions in circadian rhythms and the balance of ecosystems.

A recent study showed that 1/3 of the world’s population will never see the Milky Way with their naked eye. According to available studies, around 70% of India’s population is estimated to live under light polluted skies, meaning the night sky is obscured by artificial light with the major cities experiencing particularly high levels of light pollution.

But just over a hundred years ago everybody could see the Milky Way from the comfort of their own homes and gardens.

The new LED lights are a mixture of Blue, Green and Red, and its the blue that is causing a huge problem. Our atmosphere scatters blue light far more easily than any other colour. It is the reason our skies are blue in the daytime - because the blue light from the sun is being scattered. So even though the LED’s use less energy they are far more light polluting than any other light form. Even using filters will not help because if you filter out the Blue, Green and Red from the LED you are left with none of the primary colours that make up nature.

Light pollution is impacting wildlife, especially the predators of the night, it is impacting humans and their sleep patterns & hormonal patterns. We have a responsibility to protect our wildlife and protect our own health and cutting down on light pollution is not just good for wildlife and humans but it makes good economic sense too as we owe a lot to our night skies. Everything you see and hear here - excluding the background music - is recorded on site.

I have also included all the exif information with each section.

For the Timelapse I used my trusty Canon 1Dx Mark ii paired with the Samyang 14 mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC. The camera was perched on my ever reliable ProMediaGear sticks and this time I have not used any Night or Light Pollution filters.

Timelapse Start: 19:14:17 | Timelapse End: 06:47:14 | Total Duration of shoot: ~ 11 hours 33 minutes

Audio Recording Equipment: Zoom H1N | Roland CS-10EM Binaural Microphones & Earphones | SwitchPod Handheld Mini Tripod. All the audio you hear within the timelapse - with the exception of the background music is recorded at the site as the timelapse was being shot. If you listen close at the beginning you can hear some Jackals and a Mottled Wood Owl calling in the vicinity.

Find everything I have used in my Kit Bag.

I am sure all of us at some point in time have gone out at night to a reasonably remote location and seen an incredibly beautiful night sky with millions of stars shining back at us, or even the beautiful arc of the Milky Way. But to photograph the Milky Way is pretty difficult and the presence of light pollution makes it worse. That said though, it IS possible to capture the Milky Way through light pollution by using a technique called Expose To The Right, or ETTR. With this method, you intentionally overexpose your image as much as possible without blowing out the highlights. ETTR allows the camera to capture a better signal to noise ratio – the signal being light, or in this case, the Milky Way. I have used the same principle here and I was absolutely ok with over exposing the artificial light source in the lower third of the frame because it serves the purpose of illustrating the types of Light Pollution I mention later on. Had this artificial light been shaded to illuminate only what was necessary the outcome of this timelapse would have been very different.

But when should you start looking for the Milky Way or even better the Core of the Milky Way? When is it visible? Is there a best time of the year to shoot the Milky Way? The Milky Way is visible everyday at night except from heavily light polluted areas of course. However, its Core, the brightest and most spectacular part of the Milky Way, isn’t always visible. So there is a hunting season for the Milky Way.

But why isn’t the core visible? Because for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, during winter, the Core or the Galactic Center is above the horizon during the day and therefore blocked by the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Core begins to be visible at the end of January, although for a very short time. This timelapse provides an illustration of the Milky Way fading away gradually as the sun rises.

Depending on where you are, you will need to wait until February or even March and it stays visible all the way to October when it starts to set and is no longer visible in the months of November, December & January. There are lots of calendars, online resources and YouTube videos available which can help with planning a Milky Way shoot. I personally prefer PhotoPills which provides all the information, and some more, needed to make a good plan.

At the beginning of the Milky Way season, which is the time of this timelapse, the Core becomes visible in the pre-dawn hours and remains above the horizon during daylight hours. As the months go by, the Core becomes visible for a longer and longer period of time each night, June and July being the months with longest visibility. During this time of the year, the Core will be visible all night. Then from July on, the Core visibility begins to decrease and the best viewing time moves towards dusk and after, until it becomes totally invisible again in winter (November).

Like the Sagittarius constellation, the Galactic Center can only be visible from latitudes between +55º and -90º. If you live in latitudes above +55º, you won't be able to see the Galactic Center and will be able to see only part of the Core of the Milky Way. The best time to see it is before and after summer. Notice that during the summer the astronomical twilight never ends, so you won't have a completely dark sky.

Milky Way Core Rising - Nirmal - WildArtWorks — Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 19 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 4600k | Time of Frame: 05:30:36

Creating a Milky Way Timelapse

Timelapses of the Milky Way are a timeless way to capture the natural beauty of our galaxy as it moves across the sky. It helps provide a real sense of how large and beautiful the band looks as it crosses the night sky in video format. As we all know, the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, it is a large object but is not as big as the closest galaxy to us (which, incidentally, is on a collision path with the Milky Way): the Andromeda Galaxy. We, as part of the Solar System, are at about half the distance from the center of the Milky Way galaxy to its outer edges. We are located in a smaller spiral arm – the Orion Arm – between two large arms. Read more.

But first things first, what exactly is a time-lapse? It is a technique that allows us to take a series of photos and put them together sequentially to create a video. The frames are taken with the same settings over an extended period of time and when put together show movement from the same perspective in a sped-up fashion. Basically speeding up the passage of time - Time Travel!

Timelapses can be created using almost any camera and off late most recent DSLR/mirrorless cameras have a "time-lapse mode" which allows one to create a time-lapse very easily without any editing. Once activated, one just has to point the camera to the the Milky Way, focus, and launch! Me - I prefer the old fashioned way because it gives me more control and especially over the flicker.

There are some additional pieces of gear required

A wide angle lens which will give a nice wide field of view of the Milky Way.
An intervalometer which will help to control the intervals and exposure times. Some modern cameras have built-in intervalometers but I think an external one still provides more flexibility.
A sturdy tripod which is self explanatory as you need a stable base and avoid any shake caused by wind or uneven ground.
A Ball Head to get to the angle required.
Finally a star tracker which will allow to create a Timelapse that follows the Milky Way and will show the rotation of the earth. This, however, is not mandatory but a good to have.

Pro Tip: Do not head north for a Milky Way time-lapse, instead, find a spot that is south of any major city. Why? Orientation matters - especially in India. The Milky Way will pan across the southern half of the sky. Also, avoid light pollution caused by bright cities to the south and east that create light domes. The light glow you see in my photo on the left are from some villages which have been inundated by LED lights - the bane of astrophotography. Why?

The LED lights especially those used for street lighting are INTENSELY bright, much more so than the “old-fashioned” sodiums. Looking up is like staring into the sun. If you have the opportunity, step under an orange sodium street light and then under an LED. You’ll be amazed at the difference in light intensity. Some time back, on a similar Milky Way hunt in Malaysia, to gauge the approximate difference in brightness between the two, I had pulled out my camera and taken a light meter reading on the pavement beneath an LED lamp and then under a high-pressure sodium lamp. The LED was brighter by more than one camera “stop” or more than twice as bright.

Another issue with LED ornamental and street lighting has to do with color. Although natural color LED lighting is available, high-efficiency LED lights emit a much bluer light than sodium vapor. Blue-rich light not only increases the amount of glare sensed by the human eye but also the amount of visible light pollution. Other effects of light trespass and glare include sleeping problems and even an increased risk for certain cancers. From an astrophotography perspective this LED glow is almost impossible to eliminate and believe me I have tried all the night filters available including dedicated narrowband Astro filters. Read about them here - Astrophotography Filters.

We humans need the night more than we know.

LEDs are only part of the problem of course. The real issue is the ever-increasing amount of light pollution worldwide and the potential for new LEDs to make it worse. True, we can take advantage of the ability to adjust and dim current lighting to more suitable levels. LEDs are also highly directional, making it easy to point them just where they’re needed. Finally, new high-efficiency more natural (less blue) LEDs are now available that can help reduce light pollution. There’s no question that LED lighting can be used wisely to make everyone happy – stargazers, drivers, shoppers and walkers. For help and more information, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a great place to start.

Milky Way timelapses don’t need as much control as a day to night time-lapse. In day to night time-lapses, one will have to change the exposure so that the photos look consistent. Fortunately the light tends to be the same in Milky Way photography, so you don’t need to be as alert. The one thing that may get in the way is bad weather, though. Bad weather can make any shoot uncomfortable. It can force one to change the settings or even move the equipment resulting in shaky and unevenly exposed pictures.

The Milky-Way is stunning! It’s the perfect subject for nighttime time-lapse photography. When you take pictures, pay careful attention to the camera settings and don’t be afraid of high ISO numbers. You can experiment with a slow shutter speed if you want to create a star trail time-lapse. You can also elevate your Milky Way time-lapse photography by using special tools like motorised camera sliders. But most of all, enjoy the time under the stars!

Meteor - Nirmal - WildArtWorks — Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 19 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 4600k | Time of Frame: 00:18:17

A closer view of the Meteor.

Exif: Canon 1Dx Mark ii | Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC | f/2.8 | 19 seconds | ISO 3200 | Manually focused with WB set to Manual at 4600k | Time of Frame: 00:18:17

The silent & devastating impact of Light Pollution and solutions to mitigate it

Most environmental pollution on Earth comes from humans and their inventions. Take, for example, the automobile or that miraculous human-made material, plastic. Today, automobile emissions are a major source of air pollution contributing to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health hazard to marine animals.

And what about the electric lightbulb, thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time? Electric light can be a beautiful thing, guiding us home when the sun goes down, keeping us safe and making our homes cozy and bright. However, like carbon dioxide emissions and plastic, too much of a good thing has started to negatively impact the environment. Light pollution, the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior, and our ability to observe stars and other celestial objects.

Every day needs a night and all around us, this unintended pollutant is taking a silent toll. Each year, thousands of migrating birds and shorebirds are killed because of unnecessary artificial light at night. Light pollution threatens aquatic ecosystems by increasing the risk of harmful algae blooms. It also impacts our circadian rhythms and degrades our quality of life by eradicating our access to the wonder of beautiful night skies.

Light pollution is a global issue. This became glaringly obvious when the World Atlas of Night Sky Brightness, a computer-generated map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016. Available online for viewing, the atlas shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are glowing with light, while only the most remote regions on Earth (Siberia, the Sahara, and the Amazon) and places like Ladakh in India are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait. According to available studies, around 70% of India’s population is estimated to live under light polluted skies, meaning the night sky is obscured by artificial light with the major cities experiencing particularly high levels of light pollution.

Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over urban areas, due to the electric lights of cars, streetlights, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, bright hoardings, and buildings, turning night into day for people who work and play long after sunset. People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view celestial objects. More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, live under sky glow. It sounds pretty, but sky glow caused by anthropogenic activities is one of the most pervasive forms of light pollution.

Time to Wake Up?

Artificial light can wreak havoc on natural body rhythms in both humans and animals. Nocturnal light interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm — the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that guides day and night activities and affects physiological processes in nearly all living organisms. One of these processes is the production of the hormone melatonin, which is released when it is dark and is inhibited when there is light present. An increased amount of light at night lowers melatonin production, which results in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems. Recent studies also show a connection between reduced melatonin levels and cancer. In fact, new scientific discoveries about the health effects of artificial light have convinced the American Medical Association (AMA) to support efforts to control light pollution and conduct research on the potential risks of exposure to light at night. Blue light, in particular, has been shown to reduce levels of melatonin in humans. Blue light is found in cell phones and other computer devices, as well as in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the kinds of bulbs that have become popular at home and in industrial and city lighting due to their low cost and energy efficiency.

Not just humans, Wildlife is impacted as well!

Studies show that light pollution is also impacting animal behaviors, such as migration patterns, wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation. Because of light pollution, sea turtles and birds guided by moonlight during migration get confused, lose their way, and often die. Large numbers of insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals, are drawn to artificial lights and are instantly killed upon contact with light sources. Birds are also affected by this, and many cities have adopted a “Lights Out” program to turn off building lights during bird migration.

A study of blackbirds (Turdus merula) in Germany found that traffic noise and artificial night lighting causes birds in the city to become active earlier than birds in natural areas—waking and singing as much as five hours sooner than their country cousins. Even animals living under the sea may be affected by underwater artificial lighting. One study looked at how marine animals responded to brightly lit panels submerged under water off the coast of Wales. Fewer filter feeding animals, such as the sea squirt and sea bristle, made their homes near the lighted panels. This could mean that the light from oil rigs, passing ships, and harbors is altering marine ecosystems. In Singapore, I have seen common kingfishers become disoriented by the bright city lights of the CBD and crash into the high rises and plummet to their deaths on the pavement below. It was heart breaking to step out of my office at the time and see a kingfisher lying dead on the ground. Even in places meant to provide protected natural habitats for wildlife, light pollution is making an impact. The National Park Service (NPS) has made maintaining a dark night sky a priority. The NPS Night Skies Team has been monitoring night sky brightness in some one hundred parks, and nearly every park showed at least some light pollution.

There are four other kinds of light pollution: glare, clutter, light trespass and skyglow.

Glare – The excessive brightness that can cause discomfort to the eyes.

Clutter – A term used to describe the excessive, bright and confusing groupings of lights.

Light trespass – When light falls where it was not needed or intended.

Skyglow – The brightening of night skies over populated areas

Types of Light Pollution-3 - WildArtWorks

The good news is, the solution is as easy as screwing in a lightbulb. Light pollution is something we can all help erase, in our homes and gardens, the parks that we play in, and the cities and towns we call home. There are several organizations working to reduce light pollution. One of these is the U.S.-based International Dark Sky Association (IDA), formed in 1988 to preserve the natural night sky. IDA educates the public and certifies parks and other places that have worked to reduce their light emissions. In 2017, the IDA approved the first U.S. dark sky reserve. The massive Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, which clocks in at 3,667 square kilometers (1,416 square miles), joined eleven other dark sky reserves established around the world. As of December of 2018, IDA lists thirteen dark sky reserves on their site.

Light pollution is reversible!

We can all make a difference. It is not enough to be aware of the problem. You must take action. Everyone who wants to upgrade their outdoor lighting should aim for a minimum energy consumption. Understanding that wasted light is wasted energy supports not only the switch to LEDs, which are more directional than HIDs, but it also means that reducing lighting pollution supports efficiency goals. Lighting energy consumption is reduced even more by integrating controls. There are other factors to consider, especially when artificial lighting is added to the landscape at night.

The night is vital to the earth’s eco-system. Outdoor lighting can be attractive and achieve efficiency goals while providing good visibility. It should also reduce nighttime disturbance.

Things We Can All Do

More people are taking action to reduce light pollution and bring back the natural night sky. Many have adopted legislation to control outdoor lighting, and manufacturers have designed and produced high-efficiency light sources that save energy and reduce light pollution. Individuals are urged to use outdoor lighting only when and where it is needed, to make sure outdoor lights are properly shielded and directing light down instead of up into the sky, and to close window blinds, shades, and curtains at night to keep light inside. Here are some steps we as individuals can take to mitigate Light Pollution.

#1 Turn Off Lights When Not in Use

Many of us are already pre-conditioned to do this when our parents gave us a scolding for leaving the room without turning off the lights. But if you have slowly grown out of the habit, now’s a great time to restart it. Not only does turning off lights help contribute to lessening overall light pollution, it reduces your energy costs at home. LEDs and compact fluorescents (CFLs) can help reduce energy use and protect the environment, but only warm-colored bulbs should be used.

#2 Use Fewer Lights When Inside

Building on #1, it’s just good practice to only use light that you absolutely need. If you appreciate low, ambient lighting, you’re already off to a great start. Having dimmers installed in every room also allows for using less light overall. Dimmers, motion sensors, and timers can help to reduce average illumination levels and save even more energy.

#3 Keep The Curtains Closed At Night

After the sun sets, try to get in the habit of using the curtains or shades to keep room lights from escaping your house or hotel room, as it contributes to the light pollution outdoors. This also allows for your own privacy, especially in close quarters such as in hotel or apartment buildings. Outdoor lighting fixtures that shield the light source to minimize glare and light trespass help prevent light pollution. An illustrated guide to acceptable vs. unacceptable types of light fixtures can be found here. Unnecessary indoor lighting — particularly in empty office buildings at night — should be turned off. This will help prevent leakage of interior light into the night sky.

#4 Avoid Driving at Night

For many, driving at night is like driving in an entirely different world, and some of us have a lack of depth perception, to boot. So unless it’s necessary, avoid driving at night; not only is it safer, using headlights contributes to the degradation of our gorgeous night skies. Especially in India where a substantially large percent of urban drivers use High Beams while driving. Some have even modified the stock lights in their cars to a point where it blinds oncoming traffic and leads to accidents. Some examples you can observe in the timelapse - between 00:47 and 01:13 - specifically at 01:10 when a few vehicles top out on the distant road the high powered headlights are clearly visible and also the extent of their throw from multiple kilometers away.

#5 Turn Off All Lights When Going to Sleep

This goes without saying, but when you’re asleep you don’t need lights! Small night lights to illuminate your way during that midnight bathroom brake are okay, as well as motion sensor lights for safety. The best example is the source of artificial light in my timelapse - the light was on through out the night and into the morning. Incidentally there are street lights which were off and this single light at what I think was a pump house was on almost blanking out the Milky Way itself. This could very easily have been turned off or a motion sensitive low intensity light could have been used.

#6 When Going Outside, Point Your Lights Towards the Ground

When using flashlights or headlights outside to illuminate your way, always try to point them down to the ground. Believe it or not, pointing that tiny ray of light upwards does contribute to light pollution! This is also good practice if you do any night hiking, or night driving whether in the city or in rural areas. This can be observed all through the timelapse.

#7 Use Night Shift Settings on All Devices

Nowadays, with all of our devices such as home computers, laptops, IPads, phones, etc. it has the potential to contribute just as much (or more) to light pollution than regular room lights. Especially when everyone in the family is using them. After dark, the bright lights of our screens are not needed, so switch to a dimmer night setting. It’s also good for our eyes especially since most computer, iPad and phones screens are blue light. Ideally the use of blue lights at night should be avoided:

Outdoor lighting with strong blue content is likely to worsen sky glow because it has a significantly larger geographic reach than lighting consisting of less blue.
Blue-rich white light sources are also known to increase glare and compromise human vision, especially in the aging eye. These lights create potential road safety problems for motorists and pedestrians alike. In natural settings, blue light at night has been shown to adversely affect wildlife behavior and reproduction. This particularly true in cities, which are often stopover points for migratory species.
DarkSky recommends that only warm-appearing light sources be used for outdoor lighting. This includes low-pressure sodium (LPS), high-pressure sodium (HPS), and low-CCT LEDs.
“Warm” toned or filtered LEDs (CCT 3000 K or lower; S/P ratio 1.2 or lower) should be used to minimize blue emission.

#8 Let Your Eyes Adjust to Less Light Instead of Turning on Lights

Sometimes we are used to absentmindedly turning on the lights full blast after the sun sets. But it’s kind of amazing to know that our eyes can adjust rather nicely to no-light or low-light settings if we just give it a few minutes. Don’t believe us? Try it!

#9 Unplug from Devices as the Sun Sets

Going a step further from point number seven, reducing the use of our devices in the evening is always a great habit to form. We’ve all heard of the potential dangers of too much screen time. After dinner, make it a rule to unplug completely. After a few days, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy.

#10 Use Only Downward Facing Lights Inside When You Can

When light points upward it contributes directly to the artificial sky glow – that glow you see over urban and rural areas from a cumulative array of lights. This sky glow spills over into neighboring areas and can also disrupt wildlife. Install light shields for any outdoor lighting set-ups to help direct the light downward to a specific area.

In conclusion, natural darkness should be the default at night – artificial light should be used only for a specific purpose. Remembering that indoor lighting also contributes to light pollution outside, and keeping the above in mind ensures a cleaner and more beautiful night sky for all to enjoy.

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Nirmal - Chasing the Milky Way