Spectacular pictures capture a world of stars
AGLIMMERING band of purple, blue and milky white lights – there’s not much out there more spectacular than the Milky Way.
Stretching across 100,000 light years and containing between 200 billion and 400 billion stars, our large spiral galaxy is often regarded as one of nature’s most beautiful sights.
Made up of a large group of stars, gas and dust all bound together by gravity, it’s called the Milky Way because it appears as a milky band of light in the sky.
From Earth it is visible overhead – but it can only be seen at night in really dark areas.
One man who knows all about it is astro-photographer Allen Lloyd. The 67-year-old often wakes up at all hours and travels around, often spending entire nights camped out with his camera equipment trying to capture a glimpse of the iconic sight.
Alan has travelled across Wales to photograph the Milky Way – from Skomer Island to the Brecon Beacons, the Elan Valley and further north.
He’s even gone further afield to places like Tenerife, and plans to organise more trips to Iceland and New Zealand later this year.
And it’s this patience and passion – as well as his background as a science teacher – that’s led him to capture some of the most striking and stunning images of the Milky Way.
“I’ve always been interested in photography, because my father was a keen photographer,” Mr Lloyd from Caldicot said.
“But when I retired it became a big hobby for me – I worked as a chemistry teacher, so I guess that fits in quite well.
“I started by doing landscape photography, and then I started taking pictures at night, under the stars.
“The Milky Way really is so special and so wonderful, especially when you manage to capture it on camera.
“Whenever I go on holidays, I try to go somewhere where it will be dark and I’d be likely to see the Milky Way.
“I always take my camera equipment, just in case.”
Whenever he plans his trips, Mr Lloyd says he always heads out earlier than he has to, so he can set up well in advance.
“If I need to go somewhere else, somewhere darker or less cloudy – I’ve got the chance to drive there before the sun comes up,” he said.
“The whole night is usually a write off, and I sometimes get home at around 7.30am. It’s such a buzz and such an adrenaline rush – you don’t even notice the time.”
And how can we capture a glimpse of the Milky Way?
“The sky has to be really dark and clear,” said Mr Lloyd.
“The moon phase will greatly affect your ability to shoot the Milky Way – it should be between the last and first quarter. Or in other words – not in the sky.
“In April I’d say the best time to see it would be at around 4am, but through September that would be more like 10pm. It changes a lot.”
While it’s best seen through the lens of a camera, Mr Lloyd says the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye – but it might take some time for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
He says some of the best places to spot the Milky Way are those with low light pollution, including the Elan Valley, parts of Snowdonia and north Wales, the Brecon Beacons, Skomer Island and Pembrokeshire.
Mr Lloyd says it’s worth investing in a good digital camera with special lenses to capture it on camera.
“The lens often sees what the eye can’t” he said.
“Where as the eye will see stars, the camera will pick up the pinks, reds and greens.”