By Mike Busch

Conditions were perfect this morning to see the Milky Way.  Clear skies, low humidity, and moonrise at 4:00 a.m. got me out of bed and out the door by 2:15 a.m.   I initially planned on heading east as far as Southampton but made a quicker stop at Cupsogue beach fearing I could get caught in the U.S. open traffic and lose the dark sky as dawn approached.  The temperature on the way was 38 degrees, hard to believe in the middle of June!

I planned on driving straight to Moriches via Cupsogue Outer Beach but it was closed halfway down for Piping Plover protection, so I took a few shots and then hiked the rest of the way.

I also caught one meteor and what I think is an Iridium flare, created when sunlight hits an orbiting satellite creating a quick reflection.  You can learn more about these here, apparently these will be extinct in the near future as newer satellites will not use the same reflective material.

If you are interested in trying this for yourself, I share some settings and strategy below.

http://www.new.fireislandandbeyond.com/milky-way-atlantic-ocean-fire-island/

Images taken with a Nikon D850, Nikkor 14-24 wide angle and Nikkor 24-70.

More Images on Page 2