Encountering the Extraordinary

 

The galactic center of the Milky Way viewed from the Mauna Kea Visitor Station

If we want to witness the extraordinary, it usually requires some (even small) extraordinary action on our part.

For me, seeing the Milky Way at the Mauna Kea Visitor Station was extraordinary. I’ve never in my life seen that many stars at one time.

Multitudes come to Mauna Kea for the summit (which requires a 4WD vehicle to access btw), the sunsets and some early evening star-gazing, but I can attest that almost no one was there between 2-4am this particular evening/morning, when the galactic center of the Milky Way showed up. The parking lot of the visitor station was completely empty except for us. (Note that this is as far as you can go between half and hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise; You cannot go to the summit during this time.)

Experiencing this view required a 1-hour+ drive through the deep darkness of the island night along some desolate stretches of road, as the temperature gradually dropped from 73F to 34F.

It required resisting the urge to turn around and go back to bed, and overcoming the fear of disappointment (that this may end up being a waste of time).

Once there, it required turning off the car, and consequently the heat, because cars today have so many little lights that hinder the ability of the eyes to adjust. And then, it required the waiting...

Capturing it meant standing out in the cold for a while to find a composition and exposure I liked. Fortunately, I knew what to expect, and had dressed accordingly.

Finally, there was the drive home, along those same desolate roads in that same island darkness. By then, my eyelids were getting heavy, and the previous excited anticipation of what we were possibly about to experience was no longer present. We got home just before 5am, and I had to attend a work meeting an hour and a half later.

Was it convenient? No.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

The icing on this "experience cake" was that I got to share it with my wife, who extraordinarily agreed to leave the comfort of bed for the chance that we might see the Milky Way together.

The Photography

Camera: Nikon D850

Lens: Nikkor 20mm f/1.8

Exposure: ISO 2500, 10s

For the long exposure, I shot this on a tripod with a 2-second exposure delay.

I applied a bit of light painting to the foreground with my headlamp.

I used the PhotoPills app to know at what time the galactic center would be visible, and in which direction.