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Anyone suggest anywhere around North London hopefully dark enough to shoot some stars/Milky Way?
 
Anyone suggest anywhere around North London hopefully dark enough to shoot some stars/Milky Way?

Alexandra Palace, although the light pollution might be a pain.
Top of Hampstead heath might be better.
 
Can't imagine anywhere inside the M25 being dark enough for Milky Way photos, far too much light pollution.

When I moved to Cambridgeshire it took me a while to remember just how nice it was to look up and see a star filled sky.
This map will give you an idea of where to go near London for sky at night watching http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/images/darksky01.jpg
 
You can capture some stars from London. The shot below was taken in London about 7 - 8 miles, as the crow flies, from Trafalgar Square. However, for my equipment - an unguided DSLR and no special pp - that is about the best I could do from such a location. Agree with TT there is just too much light pollution to capture the MW and getting somewhere really dark is a revelation.

Dave

Orion2800_zps46428382.jpg
 
I don’t mind somewhere outside M25. I’m near potters bar but was just wanting to know if there was possibly anywhere where maybe one of you had tried it and got okish results.
 
The only time I've ever seen the Milky Way in Britain was when I stayed in a small village just outside Dartmouth.
Nowhere within 30 miles of London will allow you a clear view of the sky.
Looking at those "light pollution" maps, it strikes me that one area in southern England that might give a clear view of the sky is somewhere on Salisbury Plain, but its still a 60 -70 mile drive from London.
It would be annoying to drive all that way, only to find it was cloudy.
 
I've tried to shoot the milyy way from ally pally, no luck sadly. I think you'd have some more success with a grad ND to block out the city lights, but it's an expensive experiment to run if, like me, you don't have the correct filters to do the job!

I'd say you'd need to head into deepest east Anglia, or perhaps find an area on the south coast looking over the water.

The south really is a light polluted mess....
 
I live in Hertsmere which is just inside the M25 and the light pollution is pretty bad (not so much after midnight when they turn most of the street lights out but that doesn't happen everywhere)

What I have managed to do quite successfully is photograph star trails by stacking multiple 30 second exposures.


Star trails (with aeroplanes)
by David Williams, on Flickr

This was my first attempt but later I had much better results with more expsures

I've seen nice star trails shots taken in the City Of London so it is possible.

HTH

David
 
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The only time I've ever seen the Milky Way in Britain was when I stayed in a small village just outside Dartmouth.
Nowhere within 30 miles of London will allow you a clear view of the sky.
Looking at those "light pollution" maps, it strikes me that one area in southern England that might give a clear view of the sky is somewhere on Salisbury Plain, but its still a 60 -70 mile drive from London.
It would be annoying to drive all that way, only to find it was cloudy.

Great Fen near Holme in Cambridgeshire is a Milky Way class dark sky site http://www.greatfen.org.uk/dark-skies-great-fen-0
South of Peterborough off the A1, been there for a stroll during the day a few times, must have a look there one night.
 
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It's still 70 miles from London.

Yes it is, but I didn't say otherwise so not sure why you are telling me as though I was disputing that fact
its more convenient from North London though, straight up the A1 or M11
 
Yes it is, but I didn't say otherwise so not sure why you are telling me as though I was disputing that fact
its more convenient from North London though, straight up the A1 or M11
The comment was not directed specifically at you.
The OP was looking for somewhere in London to photograph the stars.
I was simply emphasizing the fact that there is nowhere near London that star photography is possible.
 
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